LEGAZPI CITY --- Millions of pesos worth of contracts and claims are reportedly missing in the public works and highways task force office here pointing to the sacked office secretary as the alleged culprit.

        This developed as the DPWH regional office was shattered by reports that ousted task force head Arnold Matamorosa has secured a new order for his return even as he breached an earlier order reassigning him to the DPWH central office.

        Rocked by a series of scandals with the unmasking of the delivery of P19 million alleged kickback money, DPWH Regional Director Danilo Manalang revealed that Matamorosa secured a new order for his return with new assignment at the DPWH regional office’s construction division. The order reportedly came from DPWH Undersecretary Manuel Bonoan.

        But in a telephone call on Dec. 7 to Bonoan’s office, an employee there who answered the phone denied there was such an order.

        Earlier, Wilfredo “Boy” Mayor, the former jueteng lord who claimed he was among the “brains” of the task force creation in collaboration with Albay Rep. Al Francis Bichara (2nd district) and then DPWH Regional Director Orlando Roces, warned Manalang that Matamorosa’s alleged amassed wealth would be mobilized to render as inutile efforts to oust the beleaguered task force head.

        Manalang has been under attack from DPWH insiders who claimed they were surprised over the regional director’s sudden slow action against the accused perpetrators of projects which he himself described as extremely substandard or in his own words, “bastardized,” and 80 percent of the implemented or paid projects had Matamorosa as the actual contractor who used dummies to corner the projects. 

        Despite findings and revealing documents, including testimonies of witnesses, Manalang until this time has not raised a finger to initiate formal charges against the alleged perpetrators. 

        Matamorosa and his secretary Susan Frias were ordered axed from their posts last Oct. 26 on Manalang’s recommendation. Manalang accused the two of concocting a robbery of Matamoraosa’s P500,000 personal money inside the latter’s office last Oct. 15. On same date, according to Manalang, a confessed contractor Cristopher Co told him that he delivered P19 million in cash to Matamorosa which amount, less P2 million as dummy contractor’s ‘royalty fee’ represented payment for the Tabon-Tabon road project in Albay. 

        Manalang said that following the relief of the two, many contractors complained that their contracts and claims were taken in custody by Frias even after cash advances in commissions (kickbacks) has already been made.

        Engr. Antonio Saguinsin, head of the regional office’s maintenance division and concurrent task force head, said they could not act on the claim papers of the projects because of the missing copies of corresponding contracts and claims. 

        Manalang said he would issue a memorandum to Frias to produce the contracts or face suspension.

        He added that he would also contest the alleged order from Undersecretary Bonoan reinstating Matamorosa. He said Bonoan could have been misled by Matamorosa’s well-oiled connections within the DPWH hierarchy. 

        Close to P500 million worth of contracts were estimated to have been implemented by the task force under Matamorosa since its creation in September 2007.