DEPW asks for double its budget next year

THE Cebu City Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) is asking for more than double their present budget as their operational budget next year, 2019.

From their P114 million budget this year, DEPW wants it increased to P235 million.

The bulk will be spent on asphalting existing city roads, which is estimated to cost P100 million. City Engineer Kenneth Carmelita Enriquez, during yesterday’s budget hearing, said some of the road asphalting to be undertaken are requests from several barangays in the city.

“The requests amounted to a total of P200-million. P60-million of these were accomplished using the approved budget last year while P40-million were done through Supplemental Budgets (SB). So this means we still have P100-million worth of deliverables,” Enriquez told members of the council’s committee on budget and finance.

“We will only recommend to do asphalting in areas that have good drainage systems since asphalt is vulnerable without a drainage system,” she added.

DEPW has also lined up improving and constructing a drainage system to address flooding and allocated P21.-million or almost double the budget for drainage this year, which is P12.6-million.

Redundancy

Concerns on project redundancy were also raised during the budget hearing.

Councilor Jerry Guardo, Deputy Mayor on Infrastructure, urged the DEPW to constantly coordinate the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to avoid redundant road rehabilitation projects.

“If there is no coordination between DEPW and DPWH, it will be redundant and it may lead to waste of public funds,” Guardo said.

DEPW also wants to construct a new office and purchase new heavy equipment.

These plans, however, were not included in DEPW’s budget proposal, and were only raised when the council asked if they had more requests.

Engr. Nilo Ygot told legislators said they wanted brand-new heavy equipment, such as dump-trucks, to fast-track their infrastructural projects such as road asphalting.

“Each dumptruck costs around P10-million,” Ygot said.

Enriquez said they also want a new office. DEPW is currently housed on the second floor of the Yutivo Building along D. Jakosalem Street.

But due to financial constraints, the council advised DEPW to choose only one of the two projects.

“Pwede mohangyo ta sa (Maybe we can ask) disaster (Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and  Management Office) on the heavy equipment. Because the disaster has funds, and it will be justified,” said Councilor Margarita Osmeña, chairperson of the committee on budget and finance.