Catanduanes DE vacancy sparks political controversy

By Manuel T. Ugalde

CATANDUANES may face challenges due to the absence of a district engineer, as no engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office have shown interest in the upcoming vacancy. This situation has been flagged as a red flag.

In response, there have been suggestions to place the Catanduanes district engineering office under the temporary supervision of either the Albay office or the regional office until the current issues are resolved.

Reports indicate that political interference has affected officials below the district engineer level, with four section chiefs being relieved due to political persecution.

Since the May 2022 election, Catanduanes has had four regular district engineers, which the DPWH describes as a serious phenomenon. The former district engineer was forced to take a leave of absence for over a month, reportedly due to political persecution.

The engineers identified are Gil Augustus A. Balmadrid, Edy Ferdinand Joven, Dennis Cagomoc, and Simon Arias. Additionally, four regular district engineers, including Balmadrid, Joven, Rebecca J. Roces, and Florida P. Nunez, are currently on floating assignment at the regional office.

Records show that Balmadrid, from Catanduanes, was relieved of his position three months after the 2022 election. He was succeeded by Joven from Camarines Sur, who was relieved eight months later. Cagomoc then succeeded Joven but went on forced leave after eight months.

Due to the urgency of the situation, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan replaced Cagomoc with Simon Arias from Masbate’s 2nd District.

Arias had previously requested reassignment but not to Catanduanes. The lack of interest in the Catanduanes position surfaced after four surprising appointments of district engineers in less than two years, allegedly due to political pressure.

None of the veteran district engineers on floating status at the regional office expressed interest in the Catanduanes assignment, citing previous extreme political encounters.

Regional Director Virgilio Eduarte confirmed the swapping assignment of Arias and Cagomoc. Arias reportedly accepted the temporary reassignment to Catanduanes with the expectation of a promotion to assistant regional director in Regions 7 or 10 within three months.

A source indicated that Arias’s acceptance was influenced by a promise of promotion, but this designation cannot yet be validated due to political influence in the regions.

Meanwhile, the DPWH has yet to find a permanent district engineer for Catanduanes, and the office may remain headless following Arias’s expected promotion and reassignment.

A retired district engineer suggested temporarily attaching the Catanduanes district engineering office to Albay for supervision until a willing district engineer is appointed. Former DPWH Bicol legal officer Oliver Rodolfo stated that Catanduanes’ P2 billion infrastructure budget for 2024 was allegedly cut by 50%, with the bidding for half a billion contracts moved to the regional office.

Reports also mention that the normal tour of duty for district engineers is at least three years, though some have served up to ten years depending on their relationship with incumbent lawmakers.