“UNANG-UNA, mukhang hindi talaga tama ang disenyo nung flood control sa Candating, Arayat. Kung maaalala ninyo pinilit natin yung kontratista na ayusin dahil nagigiba yung mga pundasyon. Eh, ngayon, hanggang ngayon hindi nila maayos-ayos.
So, kailangan na tayong magdesisyon dito na talagang panagutin yung mga dapat managot diyan. Kasama na yung mga tao ng DPWH, kasama yung kontratista, and meron naring nagre-report sa atin na may links sa mga kongresista.
So, lahat yan kailangang imbestigahan natin. At, ah, kung ano man ang rekomendasyon natin isa-submit natin sa Ombudsman at sa DOJ.
Pero hindi talaga maayos-ayos kase mukhang may mali talaga sa disenyo. At kawawa naman yung mga kababayan natin dun na apektado yung mga bahay nila. So, hindi natin pwedeng palampasin ito.”
Now, Public Works Sec. Vince Dizon is talking: three days since the latest collapse of the slope protection of the Candating flood control project on Jan 23 – only hours after he led an inspection of the cracked Arnedo Dike road and the unfinished San Agustin Bridge, both in Arayat too, not all that far from Candating.
Dizon should not even be talking about this now, if only he did his job of translating into action the words he uttered right at the site only last Sept. 24 while confronting Engr. Edgardo Sagum, owner of Eddmari Construction & Trading, the Candating project contractor.
Indeed, his words today are veritably but a rehash of those he mouthed four months ago, to wit:
“Dapat naman (bunutin ang sheet piles), gusto nating malaman kung talagang 36 meters. That’s practically 10-storey building.
Dalawa lang ang problema…either may problema sa paggawa mo or yung design mali. Ganun lang ‘yun. So aalamin natin yan. Kailangan ito ipa-assess yung design nito kung tama ba o hindi.
Ikaw ba talaga ang gumagawa dito? Hindi mo ito sinubcon? Tsini-check ko yan engineer. Ikaw ba talaga ang gumagawa? Iba ang naririnig namin. Basta on record sinabi mo sa akin ikaw ang gumagawa. Malalaman at malalaman ko rin kung sino talaga ang gumagawa dito, kung pinahiram mo lang ang lisensya mo.”
Some foot-in-mouth disease there, Sir Vince?
It is well within reason to assume that Dizon received constant and conscientious apprisal of the Candating project after his biting onsite discourse. Given the fear he instills in the agency since becoming its head.
Hence, he must have known that the sheet piles were not pulled out after some perfunctory tries; that Eddmari Construction – sans any reported design re-assessment – just went on with its way of “repairing” the damage to “completion ahead” of its promised last-week-of-November-2025 target.
If not Dizon himself, at least his minions at the DPWH-3 and whatever district engineering district that has responsibility of Candating, must have seen or heard the media blast over the repair completion, uniformly quoting Sagum proudly proclaiming: “Tiniyak namin na matapos ito bago pa maabutan ng sunod-sunod na bagyo. Ipinangako namin sa publiko nitong Oktubre na matatapos ito ng huling linggo ng Nobyembre, pero we’ve finished the rehabilitation first week pa lang ng buwan.”
The absence of any official response from the DPWH to the contractor’s cocky confidence could only mean acquiescence, if not assent.
Here now comes in full force Qui tacet consentire videtur, that assenting-silence doctrine that while quietude assumes consent, silence can also warrant the continuation of wrongdoings.
Thus, Candating caught in a vicious cycle of collapse and desultory rehabilitation and repair for the past three years, at least, to the cost of hundreds of millions, to an even higher cost of human suffering.
“So, hindi natin pwedeng palampasin ito.” So, Dizon is now saying.
“E, noong Setyembre, pinalampas na po ninyo ito.” So, we are retorting.
Same difference. Unconvince us, Vince. Photos grabbed from the web
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