Capitol to hold WT equipment until Capitol grounds are restored

The “Kalambuan sa Matag Sugbuanon” tarpaulin that used to cover the right of the Capitol complex’ fence has been removed, revealing the dug up lot where the old Bureau of Agriculture Extension (Baex) Building used to stand. This is the same area where the proposed 20-story resource center of the Capitol is being constructed. (CDN Digital Photo/Rosalie Abatayo)

CEBU CITY, Philippines —At least P6.9 million shall be needed in order to restore to level ground the excavated part of the Provincial Capitol Compound where the 20-story Capitol resource center was supposed to stand.

But Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has maintained that the provincial government will not shell out any amount to backfill and compact the grounds.

In an interview on Monday, July 8, Garcia said WT Construction Inc., the contractor of the P1.3 billion resource center project, has requested the Capitol to allow them to pull out their equipment after she ordered for the stoppage of the project on July 1.

Read more: Garcia denies WT Construction’s request to pull out equipment from resource center project site

Garcia, however, maintained that unless WTCI would show “good faith” and would restore the deeply excavated part of the Capitol grounds, then none of the equipment would be moved out of the Capitol premises.

There are two backhoes, a crane and a generator set left in the project site.

Garcia said that WTCI did not heed her earlier warnings to stop with their work in the project site as the resource center “is not part of her program of government.”

Read more: Garcia orders permanent halt of resource center construction

“Despite my pronouncements nga  di na na mopadayon, paspasay man gihapon sila og kutkot. Di pa baya na ingon ana ka lawom atong first week of May. Unya pagdaug na, mao na ang laing una nako nga giingon. We gave them prior warning,” said Garcia.

(Despite my prior pronouncements that the project will no longer push through, they continued to excavate the lot. It was not yet that deep during the first week of May. When I was proclaimed as the winning governor, that was the first thing I mentioned to them. We gave them prior warning.)

Garcia also said that since the province would not be pushing through with taking out a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippine (DBP) for the project, the Capitol had no funding source to backfill the excavated project site./dbs