Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos called out DEPW head Engineer Lowell Corminal during an executive session on November 7, describing his handling of the council’s inquiries as “arrogant.” | Sangguniang Panlungsod Cebu City – Secretariat
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A heated exchange erupted in the Cebu City Council on Thursday as members confronted Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) head, Engineer Lowell Corminal, over delays and transparency issues surrounding the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) project.
The council demanded full disclosure of plans and budgets for the hospital’s pending phases, while Corminal explained his need “to seek guidance” from the mayor.
During the November 7 executive session, the seventh discussion on CCMC’s progress, the council criticized the DEPW’s failure to meet previous document requests for the city’s “biggest and most delayed” infrastructure project.
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Councilor Mary Ann Delos Santos, who authored the resolution, took a hard stance, calling out what she described as “arrogance” in Corminal’s handling of the council’s inquiries.
“I don’t like the arrogance of the city engineer [Corminal] here. With all due respect, DEPW is not an expert in building a hospital. What they’re good at is making open canals with covers, basketball courts, and gyms… Let’s be honest with ourselves. Do we have the expertise to build a hospital? That’s the question. If we don’t have the expertise, I doubt we can finish CCMC,” Delos Santos said.
She expressed frustration that key documents, particularly the Program of Work and Estimates (POWE) for CCMC’s phase 5, had not been submitted by the DEPW. Instead, Corminal stated that he needed the mayor’s approval before providing these materials.
“Why are you asking for guidance from the mayor when you are the department head of the city engineer?” she asked.
Delos Santos said that the council had been seeking updates on private funding commitments, contractual terms, statements of work, and completion plans that she asserted were within the council’s rights.
Mayoral approval required
Corminal explained that while some documents had been submitted, including prior phase reports, the POWE for phase 5 required mayoral approval due to protocol.
“The processing of the POWE does not require submission to the city council; hence, I sought the directive of the mayor,” he said.
“Personally, I would like to submit but since it is not required, hence I am asking the directive of the mayor… I am merely seeking the instruction of my immediate head,” Corminal added.
READ MORE: CCMC: A decade of delays and still no clear end in sight
The explanation did not satisfy Delos Santos, who argued that such documentation was vital for transparency and accountability, particularly for a project funded by taxpayer money.
“But what we are asking from you, [Corminal], doesn’t mean it’s not required. You are not giving us any information… Remember, the reason we have this executive session is to promote transparency and accountability. So if you’re not being transparent with us because, as you said, it’s not required, then you’re being very arrogant in telling us that,” she said.
DEPW’s submissions
Councilor Nestor Archival also expressed dissatisfaction with the DEPW’s submissions. He insisted that the council be given comprehensive, signed blueprint designs and completed documents.
“Ayaw mi tagae og mga dokumento nga saksak sinagol because you are an engineer. Every time I ask for something, you submit it just to comply, but it’s not complete. I was asking you to give us the design plans signed by the designer,” Archival said.
(Don’t give us documents that are mixed because you are an engineer. Every time I ask for something, you submit it just to comply, but it’s not complete. I was asking you to give us the design plans signed by the designer.)
He raised further concerns that a lack of oversight in the project could lead to additional costs, potentially due to incomplete bid documents.
“Ngano nisubmit man ka ani nga Phase 1, 2 og 3 namo? Ibalik na lang ni didto,” Archival said.
(Why did you submit this to us when you are already in Phases 1, 2 and 3? Just return this there.)
“Pangayo sad og clearance anang Phase 1 ug 2 didto sa imong amo,” Delos Santos added.
(Also ask clearance for that Phase 1 and 2, there in your boss.)
DEPW’s actions defended
In response, Corminal defended DEPW’s actions. He stated that for items not directly mandated by the council, he was merely following the procedure in seeking the mayor’s instruction.
He explained there was no reason to withhold documents for phases 1, 2, and 3, as they are complete. Phase 1 is 100 percent finished, phase 2 has reached end-of-contract status with 91 percent completion, phase 3 is at the end of its contract, and phase 4 has been terminated.
As for phase 5, Corminal clarified that it was still undergoing the bidding process.
He said therefore, its documentation could not be submitted yet, pending the mayor’s approval and direction.
“I am not holding it personally. I am simply seeking the mayor’s approval. What I can do is seek his approval again after this session so I can furnish it… I don’t have any reason, but it’s just proper because, as I’ve mentioned earlier, it’s not part of the process to submit the POWE to the council for approval,” Corminal said.
Why does this need mayoral guidance?
Councilor Jose Abellanosa, joining the discussion, pressed Corminal further, inquiring why this particular phase of POWE required mayoral guidance if previous POWEs had been submitted to the council.
“If the council asks for these documents, it’s in a public capacity. Why are we treated differently with each request?” he asked.
Corminal reiterated that this current POWE involved elements beyond standard submission, thus requiring higher-level approval.
“It is not a personal document; it’s a document of the city, so I have to seek the mayor’s guidance. I hope you understand,” he said.
The council continued pressing for thorough project documentation, with Archival urging the city engineer to provide complete and organized physical copies of all project plans and previous phase details.
He pointed out that the engineering team should have signed blueprints, detailed POWE, and properly stamped bidding documents, which would indicate readiness for bidding.
He emphasized that after bidding, there should be finalized construction plans available for review.
“Dugay na kaayo ni nakong gipangayo—15th Sanggunian pa, sigeg hatag pero dili complete. I want the complete one; simple ra kaayo na, pero dili gyud kahatag. Gisubmit lage, pero I want the complete documents. I want to see it,” he said.
(I have asked for this documents for a long time already–since the 15th Sanggunian, they provide the documents but they are not complete. I want the complete one; that is really a simple request, pero they could not give the documents. They submitted, but I want the complete documents. I want to see it.)
Full documentation essential
Archival explained that full documentation would be essential for properly awarding project contracts and ensuring transparency.
He questioned recent reports suggesting that some contractors had completed work not specified within Phases 1, 2, or 3, and asked how these extra activities were being handled without clear documentation to differentiate them from the primary phases.
“The standard operation sa usa ka construction company is that we are going to give all the projects to one contractor, and we have a management team to check on that. Ang nahitabo, sila’y ga-himo sa plano, sila’y ga-check, sila’y ga-release og bidding. Ila tanan. How do we know that these items being done by the contractors are still part of the contract? Kay og imo tan-awon, ang atubangan wala’y klaro, and we have spent P2 billion na,” he added.
(The standard operation for one construction company is that we are going to give all the projects to one contractor, and we have a management team to check on that. What happened is they are the ones who made the plans, they are the ones who checked on it, they are the ones who released the bidding. All are assigned to them. How do we know that these itmes being done by the contractors are still part of the contract? Because if you look at it, the front is really not clearly done, and we have spent P2 billion already.)
As the discussion concluded, Councilor Delos Santos and Archival both insisted that all CCMC project phases, expenditures, and plans undergo the necessary council review to ensure proper checks on taxpayers money.
Corminal, meanwhile, assured the council that he would re-submit for the mayor’s instruction to provide the needed documents in full compliance with council directives.
The executive session was recessed, with the continuation initially scheduled for November 14 to 21, 2024.