City fails to implement P423M dev’t projects

Around P423 million worth of projects under Cebu City’s approved P550 million Local Development Fund (LDF) this year remain unimplemented.

This was reported by Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmena, who heads the council’s committee on budget and finance, during yesterday’s budget hearing with for the city’s proposed LDF for next year.

“It’s already almost December and there are approved appropriations that have not been used yet. Why do we keep on budgeting when we can’t do it in the year it was supposed to be obligated?” she said yesterday.

City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) assistant head Oscar Abordo told the council that the projects are already in the pipeline for implementation.

“They are already on the fast track for bidding. All the Program of Works and Estimates (POWE) for the projects have already been completed,” Abordo said.

This was supported by councilor Noel Wenceslao who said the projects can still be implemented  next year since these are continuing appropriation and the budget under the LDF will not revert to the city’s general fund.

But he added that it is the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) that  can best answer questions as to the status of the implementation of the projects.

BIG PROJECTS

Osmena said that based on the Statement of Appropriations, Obligations and Balances (SAOB), only a few of the approved projects have been implemented.

These include renovation of cultural center in barangay Buot (P1.89 million), construction of evacuation center in barangay Pamutan (P4.3 million), construction of drainage system in barangay Agsungot (P8.2 million), drainage system in barangay Buot (P4 million), road concreting projects in barangay Binaliw (P20 million), barangay Budlaan (P10 million), barangay Capitol Site (P3.6 million), barangay Lusaran (P20 million), barangy Pasil (P2.5 million), barangay Pulangbato (P5.9 million), barangay Pung-ol Sibugay (P8 million) and barangay Sudlon I (P14.5 million), among others.

But several bigger projects have remained unimplemented according to the SAOB.

These projects and programs include lot acquisition for the resettlement site of informal settlers of barangay Bacayan (P21.7 million), completion of the Center for Local Governance building (P13.5 million), construction of a two-story City Hall sa Bukid (P16.6 million), construction of a four-story Cebu City Women’ s Center (P10 million), and Budlaan sports complex (P10 million).

Other big projects include restoration and renovation of Fort San Pedro (P10 million), construction of MRF in barangay Binaliw (P10 million), acquisition of dumpsite at Quiot-Toong boundary (P10 million), motor vehicles (P11.6 million), road concreting in hillyland barangays (P10.5 million), road widening in barangay Buhisan (P10 million), road opening in Antuanga, barangay Quiot (P14 million) and road opening at sitio Kadianoy to sitio Tabla in Sudlon 1 (P10 million), among others.