Barug Team Rama bloc questions truck rentals

OPPOSITION councilors in Cebu City questioned the city government’s rental of 21 compactor and dump trucks for the city’s garbage collection program.

“The contract is very disadvantageous to the city government,” Councilor Jocelyn “Joy” Pesquera said.

Starting last week, City Hall started its lease contract with Pasajero Motors Corp. (Pamocor) which provides 11 dump trucks and 10 compactor trucks that operate 24 hours a day to the city.

Rental cost for each truck runs at P700 per hour. Pamocor won the bidding for the contract, having posted the lowest bid price.

Pamocor also provides the drivers and pays for the maintenance and repair costs of each truck.

The city will pay for fuel for the trucks which will collect garbage at major thoroughfares and areas where there are uncollected garbage.

Councilor Eduardo Rama Jr., who used to head the city’s garbage collection program, said rental costs are higher than paying for reconditioned trucks that can be operated by the city.

At P700 per hour lease rate, Rama said this means the city pays P504,000 a month for one truck alone or P1 million in just two months of lease.
In contrast, a reconditioned truck used by the city costs less than P1 million.

“Take note, gasoline expense will be incurred by the city government. Is it worth it? Let the public be the judge of that,” he said.

Councilor Joel Garganera also questioned the rental rates.

In his Facebook account, Garganera posted a photo of the newly leased trucks parked in front of City Hall for inspection by city officials.

“As they park, we are paying them (P)700 an hour. (P)16,800 per unit a day, gasoline and loader absorbed by the City,” read his caption.

In a separate post, he also posted photos of one dump truck with papers that said it was a 2017 model.

But the photos showed that the truck’s interior looked old and dusty.

Garganera, who used to head the City Council’s environment committee, also said that one truck made only two collection trips from midnight until 9:15 a.m. that day.

“We spend P1,512,000 on the rental alone for this truck for three months because the gasoline and loaders are observed by the city. These facts and figures don’t lie,” he said.

But Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña defended the rental and criticized Garganera’s post.

He said the post misled people into thinking that the trucks were just staying in front of City Hall doing nothing.

Osmeña said the photos were taken when the trucks were just being presented to city officials last week.

“They still aren’t intelligent enough to understand that the city is NOT leasing trucks, but buying TRUCK HOURS, i.e. the contractor is only paid for actual productive time that the trucks put in. A truck breaks down or a driver is absent? Contractor’s problem to replace if they want to get paid,” read the mayor’s post in his Facebook page.

He said the Department of Public Services (DPS) is coordinating with barangays to set up a regular schedule for the new trucks.

A hotline will also be put up next week for city residents to text City Hall directly and report areas that need garbage collection.