By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Variety News Staff

DEMOCRATIC senators are pressing for an investigation into the Department of Public Works’ road construction project in the Dandan area leading to the proposed site of a new landfill.
“My review of publicly announced bids reveal that a bid was not solicited for this project,” Sen. Ben Pangelinan, D-Barrigada, stated in a letter to Attorney General Alicia Limtiaco.
“Besides the propriety of spending scarce government resources for this project without first acquiring the property, I am concerned with the mechanism being used to make payments to the contractors and their subcontractors on this unauthorized and unfunded project,” he added.
Sen. Rory Respicio, D-Agana Heights, wrote a separate letter to Sen. James Espaldon, R-Tamuning, requesting an oversight hearing on DPW’s road project.
“I am very concerned with recent news reports concerning the seemingly hasty road construction project approved by the Department of Public Works for the new landfill site in Dandan,” Respicio told Espaldon, chairman of the committee on judiciary, natural resources, infrastructure and cultural affairs, which has oversight over DPW.
“As you know, this property has not been acquired by the government of Guam for this purpose, and there has been legislation introduced in the last two legislatures, which would prohibit the new landfill from being constructed at this site,” he added.
Sen. David Shimizu, D-Inarajan, and Sen. Tina Muna Barnes, D-Mangilao, earlier raised the same concerns about the road project and asked Espaldon to look into it.
The Democrats push for an investigation despite DPW director Larry Perez’s assurance that there was nothing irregular or illegal with the project.
Perez said the temporary road being built in Dandan will be used to open up an access to the selected landfill site for further hydrological survey.
Pangelinan, however, said the original engineering contract for the hydrological study “did not include the construction of a road.”
“Apparently, the Department of Public Works issued a change order to the contract for the road construction,” Pangelinan said.
He said the engineering firm is billing DPW for the work performed by a subcontractor that DPW selected to do the construction. In turn, the engineering firm pays the subcontractor building the road.
“As part of the agreement, DPW provides free coral for the road construction to the subcontractor from the government owned Dededo coral pit. The road is being built for the benefit and convenience of the engineering firm doing the environmental and hydrological study,” Pangelinan said, describing the deal as “questionable.”
“It appears that the procurement laws of Guam are being circumvented by simply issuing a change order to the engineering contract for other than engineering services, such as the construction of a road,” Pangelinan said.