4 Bicol engineers hurdle DPWH promo test

By Manly M. Ugalde

LEGAZPI CITY --- At least four engineers in Bicol assignment holding the position as officer in charge, hurdled the difficult Department of Public Works and Highways-Civil Service Promotional Test, according to documents obtained.

The promotional test was held on July 9, at the DPWH central office Port Area District in Manila, with a total of 119 assistant district and district engineers in acting or officer in charge capacity took the test, six long years after the said promotional test was disabled by President Duterte administration.

DPWH Region V director Virgilio Eduarte, however, clarified that the recently held promotional test was no longer a DPWH-CSC sponsored tandem, explaining that Secretary Manuel Bonoan has decided to handle its own promotional test based on suggestion from the management committee.

It will be recalled that the DPWH-CSC promotional test began during the time of President Fidel V Ramos, formulated to despise intervention of lawmakers or any politicians in the promotion of engineers, especially for the assistant and district engineer posts. The promo test requires all engineers carrying the item Engineer III and up and holding a position as officer in charge to be able to qualify for promotion. Engineer IV is the required item for a full-fledge assistant district engineer while a full-fledge district engineer carries the item of Engineer V.

A document signed by Secretary Bonoan showed 119 engineers had taken the July 9 test from all over regional offices, however, with only 46 takers hurdled the test.

Director Eduarte confirmed that four of the successful examinees are from Region V. They are Arjun Matrocinos kekim, the OIC assistant district engineer of Sorsogon 1st District Engineering; Ramon Anselmo Carbonera Calago, the OIC district engineer of Camarines Sur 1st District Engineering; Maximo Castillo Eleda, OIC ssst. district engineer, of the lone Catanduanes District Engineering; and Rizalino Vera Cruz Verdida, OIC district engineer of the Masbate 1st District Engineering.

A source disclosed that the Duterte administration despised DPWH-CSC promotional test was more noble no matter how it was considered difficult, compared to the Asean Engineering accreditation which the Duterte administration made as the replacement for those seeking a promotion. An engineer wanting a promotion need to secure accreditation from the Association of South East Asean Nation (ASEAN Engineer, which require an engineer to go to Asean country members to attend seminar and submit proof of credentials. The Asean requirement was reportedly offered by Secretary now senator Mark Villar.

A brainchild of Ramos’ DPWH secretary Gregorio Vigilar, the DPWH-CSC promotion test was last held during the time of Secretary Rogelio Singson under President Benigno Aquino III. It was also Singson who valued the DPWH-CSC test as a fair exercise for DPWH engineers wanting for a promotion that negate political intervention. Singson last held test yielded two Bicol-based engineers from Albay who got the top 1 and 5 score even as Bicol region also garnered the highest number of flunkers.