COA chides Cebu City gov’t over delays in completion of P634.6 M infra projects

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CEBU CITY, Philippines – State auditors have called the attention of the Cebu City government over delays in the implementation and completion of at least seven infrastructure projects worth P634.6 million.

In its 2019 annual audit report, the Commission on Audit (COA) said that the delays resulted from the failure of the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) to immediately complete the detailed engineering and investigation of the projects that included phase 1 for the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) located along Natalio Bacalso Avenue.

“Detailed engineering and investigations, surveys and designs were not sufficiently performed prior to [the] implementation of projects thus resulting in delays in the implementation or completion of infrastructure projects with a total contract cost of ₱634,583,853.82 as required under Section 17.6, Rule VI of the Revised IRR of RA (Republic Act) 9184,” the COA report said.

COA said that phase 1 of the CCMC construction project was scheduled for completion in March 2017, but its construction schedule was extended by 618 days or until December 2018.

The other six projects identified by COA are as follows: concrete fencing at the South Road Properties (SRP), stone masonry and slope protection with drainage in Sitio Cantipla in Barangay Tabunan, construction of concrete pavements in Bacayo Street in Barangay Guadalupe and in Highway 77 in Barangay Talamban,  recovery of the three-hectare service area at the Inayawan Sanitary Landfill, and construction of the landfill’s perimeter fence.

Except for the CCMC construction project and the concrete fencing at SRP, the five others projects were funded from the city’s Local Development Fund.

COA has asked the city government to direct DEPW to make sure that they complete the preparation of the detailed engineering ahead of the project implementation.

“We recommended that Management direct the Office of the City Engineer to conduct detailed engineering for all projects with reasonable accuracy to lessen if not eliminate the need for variation orders and time extensions to avoid the delayed implementation of projects,” said the 2019 audit report.

RA 9184 mandates government agencies and local government units to first secure detailed engineering and investigations, surveys and designs, including the acquisition of the right-of-way (ROW), before bidding out an infrastructure project, it added. / dcb