Cebu gov breaks down CICC costs, belies 'plunder'

Claiming the plunder charges against her were unfounded, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia made public the costs of the Cebu International Convention Center and insisted that the construction of the multi-million peso facility was within budget. Sun-Star Cebu reported Friday that Garcia claimed the CICC cost the provincial government "only" P581 million, less than the P637-million allocation. Garcia said the amount includes not just the building but every item such as landscaping, carpets, elevators, escalators, generator sets and others. The standard cost for a building like the CICC, which was the venue of the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit last January, would have been P1.17 billion, she said. Comparing the CICC with similar facilities such as the Ilocos Norte Hotel and Convention Center and the Negros Oriental Hotel and Convention Center, she said the CICC has a smaller cost per square meter of work, at P22,625.18. "So, is this a crime of plunder or slander?" Garcia asked her audience of local officials and representatives from the business sector and non-government organizations. Last Monday, trader Crisologo Saavedra filed a plunder complaint against Garcia and nine other Capitol officials with the Visayas Ombudsman over the CICC construction. Saavedra, who was not invited to Garcia's presentation Thursday, claimed that plunder was committed through misappropriation, misuse, or malversation of public funds. Garcia also denied there was any irregularity in the transactions. She said bidding was done on the project, the first phase of which was the work on substructure wherein WT Construction won. At that time, the Capitol had to conduct the bidding even if it was still drawing up the plans for the superstructure because it was pressed for time and had to start work immediately. Since the plan of work for the superstructure had yet to be made, Garcia said they could not be accused of splitting a contract because no contract could be made yet for the superstructure in the first place. She pointed out that they had announced through media every step they were taking for the CICC, so she wondered why no one ever bothered to file a complaint right then. As for the eventual awarding of the contract for superstructure to WT, Garcia said negotiated procurement is allowed under the Government Procurement Act or Republic Act (RA) 9184 "where subject contract is adjacent or contiguous, provided that the original contract is a result of a competitive bidding." She also said the selective bidding helped the Capitol by dealing directly with suppliers, it also saved the province some money, she said. Garcia also rendered an accounting of the money the Capitol spent to improve roads and bridges and other infrastructure projects, which get the bulk of development funds. Provincial engineer Eulogio Pelayre reported that the total allocation the provincial government made for infrastructure projects for 2005, 2006 and 2007 is P1.57 billion. Last Monday, Saavedra lodged plunder charges against Garcia and several provincial officials, and asked to have them placed under preventive suspension and for a freeze-payment order on all collectibles. In his letter-complaint, Saavedra also linked to the mess Cebu Vice Gov. Gregorio Sanchez, architect Manuel Guanzon, provincial treasurer Roy Salubre, engineer Adolfo Quiroga, budget officer Emmy Hingoyon, project engineer Ernesto Biernes and provincial engineer Euly Pelayre, provincial attorney Mariano Martinquilla and Eduardo Habin. Except for Garcia, Sanchez and Guanzon, those impleaded are members of the bids and awards committee (BAC) that handled the bidding phase of the project. Saavedra noted the CICC, the venue for last January’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit, had an original budget of P248,759,160 plus a supplemental allocation of P200 million more. However, the expenses could reach more than that, as the Capitol allocated P515 million for it. - GMANews.TV