Secretary Villar sacks Albay district engineer

By Manuel T. Ugalde LEGAZPI CITY --- Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar sacked a district engineer in Bicol, barely more than a month after he axed three of his top DPWH officials in the region, including the regional public works director. Villar signed on Thursday last week the relief order of District Engineer Edilberto Ativo of the Albay 3rd District Engineering Office based in Ligao City. Special Order No. 60 series of 2017 designated District Engineer Edna Menez as replacement for Ativo who is reportedly reassigned temporarily at the regional office based in this city on a floating status. Before her new post, Menez was district engineer of the Albay 2nd District Engineering (2013 – 2015) when she was ordered dismissed from the service by the Ombudsman in March 2015 involving a graft complaint. Early this year, the Ombudsman ordered Menez reinstated after her motion for reconsideration was found meritorious. DPWH Regional Director Danilo Versola cannot be contacted for comment but his executive assistant, Atty. Felix Brazil, confirmed the reassignment of Menez as district engineer vice Ativo. A source said Albay 3rd District Rep. Fernando Gonzalez had been complaining against Ativo’s poor performance. Early last February, Villar had relieved then Bicol Regional Director Reynaldo Tagudando, Asst. Regional Director Armando Estrella, and Regional Legal officer Oliver Rodulfo, over persistant charges of corrupt practices. Villar reassigned Tagudando to the Bureau of Research and Standard, Estrella as asst. regional director in Tacloban while Rodulfo as legal officer in Region VI (Cebu). Tagudando was replaced by Versola who was Region 13 regional director in Butuan City while Marinduque district engineer Esmeraldo Sarmiento succeeded Estrella. Versola is from Davao City Brazil, however, clarified that the reassignment of Rodulfo in Cebu did not push through after such reassignment was put on a hold order. He refused to elaborate.