By Nora Soriño
Iligan City Bureau Chief
and Neil Jireh Asequia
Correspondent
ILIGAN City ― Former Vice Mayor Jemar Vera Cruz yesterday dared the present leadership under City Mayor Frederick Siao to file cases against the contractor of the still unfinished Palao Market.
This, he said on air following the investigations by the present Sangguniang Panlungsod regarding the said market.
The move of making said investigation was made following the request of the contractor, BM Marketing for another extension. The latest schedule of completion of said market per the pronouncement of the contractor is now February 7, next year, if the city allows the request for an extension.
Earlier, city administrator Dr. Darwin Manubag said “this is the 7th extension request” and thus the SP’s decision to have such investigations.
During the investigation by the council in a special session last Friday presided over by Vice Mayor Marianito Alemania, it was revealed that the said market is “only 65 percent completed” and that, some materials were “found out to be substandard.”
The contractor himself, Edgar Chiu, could not be around as he could not travel, because he is unvaccinated.
It was learned that the City Engineer Leonor Actub and her team recommended that the contract be “rescinded.” The previous extensions might be reasonable, she said because of the pandemic.
“Then let the NBI make the investigations on said project,” Vera Cruz told reporters, “if really the materials are substandard.”
Titing Ancis, a supporter of the previous administration under then city mayor Celso G. Regencia and also ran as a city councilor in this year's election, then told reporters that the city engineer and her team had allowed themselves “to be used” by the Siao administration.
The said market began construction on February 20, 2020, and was supposed to be completed by December 2021 with a project cost of P590 million, which they say, “did not come from loans.”
