ILIGAN City ― The term "terminator" means one who terminates or causes the stoppage of something. This is done for some heavy reason. The term too brings back memories of some movies by that name with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a leading character.
One of the storylines speaks of some intelligent men coming up with robots with lots of artificial intelligence. These robots then were able to analyze that humans are a threat to their existence. Ha? It is the humans that are afraid of AIs because they might find themselves out of jobs because of these robots. And so, the battles between humans and AIs come into play. So, who'll come out the winner? Or the loser?
And I recall that Abba's song lyrics saying, "The winner takes it all, the loser standing small…"
Anyway, the present administration under Mayor Frederick W. Siao has become a terminator of sorts. First, there was the "Colegio de Iligan." It was terminated. Because per their analysis, it was difficult to come up with the requirements of the Ched or the Commission on Higher Education. Not to mention the budget requirement and the time limit for it to come up with the accreditation. It didn't help too that its president then, Dr. Rolly Cuizon just left posthaste, without as much as a goodbye when it was evident that the "red" team under then city mayor Celso G. Regencia would lose big in the 2022 elections.
Also, the Supreme Court decided that the city should "stop doing acts of ownership" regarding the area of the shuttered National Steel Corporation.
Well, the "Colegio" was situated there. So, the SC was a "terminator" too.
And then there's this "world-class" Palao market costing half a billion pesos, more or less. With a contractor from outside this city, doing the construction of said project, the BM Marketing. Lately, it has been "terminated" too. Because of some darn heavy reasons. Per the analysis of this present Siao administration. It has many faults and violations, even if it too is "very slow."
Among the violations cited was "spelling." The specifications, per the contract, in the elevator to be used, is "Fuji." But the one used by BM was "Fiji". Meaning, it wasn't good at spelling? Or reading? Also, some roofs leaked when subjected to the "leak test." Which was evident on the floor below. And there were several paints to "cover" the leaks evidently. Also, railings specified as "metals" were done in iron. The enclosures too of the areas for the grocery area were just as big, I mean, as small as the ones you "imprison" your cocks, I mean fighting cocks. As in chickens.
There was much much more as cited in a more than 30-page declaration in a "Notice to Terminate" sighed by Mayor Siao. I mean, "signed", not "sighed"*( but isn't the word appropriate too?)
The contractor, BM Marketing then, with Edgar Tiu, who was "invisible" til then became visible as they were made to make some "position paper" on the matter. And then a series of conferences between officials of this LGU led by Siao and this contractor from Tacloban city.
When asked whether this project was "sub-contracted" City Administrator Dr. Darwin Manubag said there were some "whisperers". But "these could not be confirmed." Adding to that "suspicion" is that there were only a few workers doing the work on such a big project. Also, the word "extend, extend" came into play. Numbering 7 in all with a few lame excuses for those extensions.
Even when the 7th request for extension by BM, it was then asking for an "8th."
The 7th extension was "denied." Per Siao's declaration in his "Notice to Terminate." But this was understood by the contractor as "approved" as it had asked for the "8th?"
The original number of days, of the completion of the project, began on February 2020, was extended to 858 calendar days when it should have been only 540 as 318 days were added to the original.
So, that's it. The "terminator" had to terminate really, the project initiated by then-City Mayor Celso G. Regencia. Let's not forget that said project was touted as a project "without any loans incurred." Also, per its declarations then, it was a "gutsy" project (although they didn't use such a word). Because no other administration had the guts to come up with such kind of project, even if the market then was already not good to look at?
We've got to give credit to then that admin of Regencia. For coming up with this one. To note too a construction near this Palao market, the Pure Gold had long been finished and doing business now.
Yet, one can't help asking. If that administration had won in the elections (as they had then lost big in that one), will the word "terminator" come about?
Email: nora.lady@yahoo.com or contact 09277983167 or 09073384874
