The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Saturday came to the defense of the contractor working on the new Senate building in Taguig. 

Speaking with ABS-CBN News, Project Director Engr. Soledad Florencio of the DPWH said her team has not observed any problems with the performance of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp. (HCC). 

“So far naman po, wala naman po kaming nakikitang iregular sa ginagawa ng contractor,” said Florencio. 

Her statement came after Senate Committee on Accounts Chairman Alan Peter Cayetano flagged the constructor for supposedly not following technical specifications which has led to costly delays.
'Luxury granite' tiles among materials listed for new PH Senate building 

 He cited the Senate Coordinating Team’s (SCT) report about the lack of waterproofing in the tiles and the failure to observe proper ceiling heights. 

Florencio said the DPWH has been hands-on in supervising the ongoing work for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Senate building. 

“All in all po, sa Senate building, at doon po sila naka-on site is nasa 45 engineers. Meron po yung structural engineer, meron pong mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, may mga sanitary engineers po yun,” she said. 

Florencio said it will ultimately be up to the Senate if they want to replace HCC with another contractor following its review of the project. 

Florencio also said some deviations to the original project plan were even requested by the Senate itself. 

“Halimbawa po, ang isang palapag, ang original po noon is ang nakalagay is mga offices lang. Minsan nababago, ang sasabihin po ng Senate Coordinating Team, baka pwedeng from office, gagawing storage room,” she said. 

She added that as project implementors, they only follow what the SCT orders, especially since under the law, it is allowed to make changes as long as these do not go beyond 10 percent of the total project cost. 

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“Sumusunod lang po kami. Ikaw magpapagawa ka ng bahay, may gusto kang baguhin, siyempre hindi yung contractor or supervisor ang magpapabago nun, yung may-ari,” she said. 

Florencio said they also inform their client, in this case, the Senate, that such changes may lead to delays and additional expenses. 

Meanwhile, Cayetano also complained about the procurement methods of the DPWH. 

Citing SCT reports, Cayetano said there were times where some items that were not yet for implementation were procured in advance while items that were already needed were still not available. 

While Florencio did not answer the question on the supposed late procurement of materials, she said they make sure to immediately make use of all materials that have already been delivered. 

“Pag nag-order ng materyales, definitely, iinstall na yun, gagamitin na,” she said. 

She said the DPWH is also strict when it comes to ensuring that the materials being used are compliant with the required specifications stated in the contract. 

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According to Florencio, she has not personally spoken with Cayetano but her team is ready to answer all his queries should he call for them. 

“Wala po talaga kaming itinatago. At masasabi ko po na doon lang kami sa tama. Wala pong anomalya,” she said. 

The DPWH and HCC are only working on Phases 1 and 2 of the project which involve the construction of the structural framework of the building and fit out of priority areas. 

While all phases are currently under review, Cayetano said it is only phase 3 that has been put on hold to prevent further delays. 

Senate President Francis Escudero ordered the suspension last week as he questioned the ballooning cost of the project which has gone up to P23 billion from the original P8.9 billion. 

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Asked if the total project cost can still be reduced without sacrificing quality, Florencio said it is possible. 

“Siguro naman malo-lower. Yun P23 billion na yun, medyo hindi yata tama yung laki ng proyekto, laki ng budget na yun,” she said. 

Meanwhile, infrastructure policy think tank InfraWatch PH said Escudero and Cayetano should focus their review on “whether there had been substantial cost overruns in the first two phases of the project” which are both ongoing.

“They should then decide whether to cut costs in the implementation of phase 3, which has not yet commenced, and can certainly be modified by the current Senate leadership” it added.