Wednesday, June 18, 2008 [ sunstar.com.ph ]
By Oscar C. Pineda
CEBU CITY -- Some P619 million worth of projects in Mandaue City are suspended because of road right-of-way (RROW) problems and the lack of materials, although the mayor vowed to finish most of them.
The City will spend additional millions to finish these “half-baked” projects, said City Engineer Antonio Sanchez, who pointed out that the cost of materials has increased since the projects were first started.
He assured there is a provision for escalation of prices in the procurement law but “there are some factors to consider.”
The City will soon start the Tabok road-widening project and the G. Ouano road extension project, and will continue the construction of the public market.
Mayor Jonas Cortes earlier announced he will continue the medium-rise socialized housing project in Barangay Looc despite errors committed during the initial phase.
What surprised some officials is that most of these projects have been awarded to contractors after biddings, and yet the RROW problems have not been settled.
Of the 14 pending projects listed, eight are more than halfway through. Phase two of the public market project, for instance, was reported as “85 percent” complete and hindered only by a delay in progress billing and the lack of some materials. This phase includes the construction of stairs, a ramp, sewage treatment plant and a cistern tank.
A City Engineer’s Office project monitoring report identified some of the suspended projects as the city’s drainage design, the Department of Education (DepEd) building, the G. Ouano extension, the medium-rise housing project in Barangay Looc and the public market.
Work on these projects began during Thadeo Ouano’s administration, which ended in July 2007.
According to the monitoring report, the total cost of the 12 suspended projects is P619,232,294 — about P69 million short of the City’s annual budget of P688 million for 2008.
The report is dated May 1, 2008. It lists only three completed projects, roadwork worth some P1.65 million.
City Engineer Antonio Sanchez assured, though, that the mayor already gave orders to continue some of these projects.
He listed these as the public market, G. Ouano extension and widening; the road opening to connect G. Ouano and A.C. Cortes Ave.; and the road-widening project in Barangay Tabok.
These projects the mayor wishes to continue will cost P499,491,852, or some 81 percent of the total amount of suspended projects.
Of these, the costliest is the public market, at P416,872,454. It is already about 85 percent complete.
The comprehensive drainage design, of which 75 percent has been done, remains suspended. Construction of the medium-rise housing project in Barangay Looc was temporarily stopped but will be completed by the present administration.
About P1.5 million remains in the allocation for the drainage design, but Engr. Pedro Adonis Compendio has promised the City he will finish the design for less.
The P100-million socialized housing project in Looc was 35.9 percent complete before construction was stopped last year.
But because of lapses, a 50 percent increase in the total project cost is expected. These lapses include errors in soil testing, additional floors requiring elevators, right-of-way problems and the need for a wastewater treatment plant.
Sanchez said he was tasked to monitor the status of all these uncompleted projects, to address questions about the use of taxpayers’ funds. (Sun.Star Cebu)
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