CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III remains adamant that the province won’t pay for contracts entered into by his predecessor, former Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia, that were not approved by the Provincial Board (PB).
“We have not changed our decision on that. But if there is an order from the Supreme Court and we see that the decision is right, we will accede,” he said in a press conference at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) yesterday.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale take reporters to inspect the CICC. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
The governor invited reporters to the P800-million facility to view its dilapidated state.
Davide spoke at the left wing of the CICC,, where metal scaffoldings were visible and walls were dilapidated.
“So, are we really going to pay for this?” he asked.
Contracts
The Supreme Court recently affirmed the ruling of the Court of Appeals on a civil case filed by contractor WT Construction Inc. (WTCI) against the Capitol in 2008 to collect P257-million as payment for extra work done on the CICC.
During Garcia’s tenure, the provincial government paid with two vouchers.
Davide said what the province is asked to pay by the Supreme Court is the interest of six percent per annum for two years or P30 million of the pending money claim.
“I am not saying that we will not be paying because early on, I already mentioned that we will not be paying for contracts that did not go through the PB,” said Davide.
The SC ruling mentioned that the additional works did not undergo bidding.
Davide said this was what former governor Garcia used as a defense at that time for not paying WT Construction which was forced to sue her administration.
“It is clear in the decision that it did not undergo bidding. That was what they used as a defense during the tenure of Garcia. Why then did they pay?” the governor said.
The governor said the province is entitled to file a motion for reconsideration but has not yet received an official copy of the order.
Capitol officials downloaded a copy from the SC website for reference.
Monument to corruption
“I have already instructed the provincial attorney that while we still haven’t received (an official copy), we will start making our motion for reconsideration,” Davide said.
Since he took office in July 2013, Davide has insisted that the provincial government will not spend a single centavo to repair the CICC.
“We felt that this is a monument of corruption,” he said and was never a priority of his administration.
However, if there are contractors that will claim for compensation for works and other projects, the Capitol is willing to pay if th claim is valid.
The CICC, built on land owned by the Mandaue city government, was completed in time for the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in 2007. Its official cost ran over P800 million, one of the basis for graft complaints pending agains then governor Gwen Garcia.
Campaign theme
The building fell into disrepair after Davide took office in 2013 and was further damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in October 15 and Supertyphoon Yolanda in November 8, all in 2013.
Meanwhile, One Cebu standard-bearer Winston Garcia, Gwen’s elder brother, said he will use the “Never Again” banner posted in front of the CICC as his campaign theme against Governor Davide.
Controversy
The former Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) chairman said he doesn’t feel alluded to in the banner.
Garcia said Davide’s only performance is criticizing the administration of his sister, now Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu’s 3rd district as well as running the provincial hospitals like a business enterprise.
If he is elected governor, Winston said he would repair the CICC because it’s a property owned by the government and must be protected even if there’s a controversy hounding it.
He compared the CICC to the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). built during the Marcos regime but are still being used and maintained by succeeding administrations.
He said it’s Governor Davide’s job to maintain all buildings, properties and equipment of the province.
“The CICC was built with taxpayers’ money and it needs repairs. Its sorry state is an insult to Davide because he is the incumbent,” Garcia said. The national government has plans to rehabilitate part of the CICC as an exposition hall for export furniture but would let the Department of Trade and Industry manage it.