Mayor Maila Rosario Ting-Que has raised concerns over billion-pesos worth of unfinished infrastructure projects in Tuguegarao City’s 3rd District and alleged irregularities in how the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) executes its programs.
In an interview on DZRH’s Dos Por Dos, Ting-Que highlighted long-standing delays in major projects, noting that some have remained incomplete for years despite repeated complaints to local authorities.
She said she has been raising these concerns since 2022, citing multi-billion-peso projects that “keep starting but never finish” [Panay umpisa, hindi matapos].
The mayor stressed that the delays affect key infrastructure in the city, including a bypass road that has been under construction for nearly seven years, a bridge valued at over P1.7 billion, and a dike project exceeding P1 billion.
The mayor also criticized the lack of coordination between the DPWH and the local government. She explained that certain DPWH projects, classified as “conditional releases” under the General Appropriations Act (GAA), bypassed the City Development Council (CDC) approval process. Instead, the department sought resolutions directly from the city council, which she said violated standard procedure.
“Dumiretso [sila] sa konseho noong hindi pinagbigyan ng isang konsehal sa bagong konseho, natanggal ‘yong konsehal na ‘yon as chairman ng infrastructure dahil hindi pinagbigyan dahil ang proseso dapat dumaan sa CDC at hindi sa city council,” the Mayor said.
According to Ting-Que, some council members who resisted these maneuvers were removed from key committee positions, while allies facilitated approvals under the wrong type of resolution.
“Sumulat sila ng dalawang beses dito ulit sa konsehong ito na ang majority ay kaalyado rin nila at nabigyan sila nung city resolution hindi city development council resolution, magkaiba kasi [‘yon],” Ting-Que shared.
Ting-Que further raised concerns about possible conflicts of interest involving Congressman Joseph “Jojo” Lara, who previously owned the construction firm JLL Pulsar.
Since Lara assumed office as congressman in 2020, the firm—now managed by his children—has secured roughly P3.7 billion in government contracts from the DPWH.
The mayor noted that projects in the district often bear visible markers of the Lara family’s involvement, from design features to delivery trucks branded with the family’s logo, raising questions about transparency and propriety
In a video posted on her official mayoral page, it showed the mayor inviting Congressman Lara for a direct meeting to discuss these issues, but the congressman reportedly deferred the meeting to November 10, citing scheduling conflicts. Ting-Que emphasized her willingness to personally meet him at his congressional office to settle these matters.
The mayor also questioned the management of multi-billion-peso contracts, observing that they are often broken down into smaller subcontracts worth under P50 million each. She suggested that this approach complicates project completion and oversight, making it difficult to ensure timely delivery.
She also affirmed that the controversial Discaya couple was involved in the anomalous infrastructure projects in their district but did not divulge further information.
Ting-Que said her office has been coordinating with DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and his representatives to address the delays and procedural concerns.
She called on the congressman to respond to questions about the execution and transparency of infrastructure projects in the district.
As of press time, Congressman Lara has not responded to requests for comment.
