CITY Council's Committee on Urban and Rural Poor and Housing Development chairperson Councilor Edgar Cabanlas is calling for an investigation into unfinished projects worth P211 million.
Cabanlas, however, has clarified that the reported unliquidated disbursement of P211 million from 2018-2022, as observed by the regional office of the Commission on Audit (COA), did not occur during Mayor Rolando Klarex Uy's tenure.
Cabanlas emphasized the need for a comprehensive investigation into the unfinished projects, reiterating his request.
These projects were not carried out during Mayor Uy's term, said Cabanlas.
This was highlighted in Cabanlas's special report during a session chaired by Vice Mayor Rodriguez.
Earlier, the COA had raised concerns about the uncompleted projects, some of which were initiated in 2018.
Among the 37 projects under scrutiny, three were reported as mobilized but were found to have not started.
The projects mainly involved roads, drainage, flood-control systems, and small buildings.
They were not identified in the report and were labeled only using serial numbers.
The COA report referred to a project known as "SN-97-2022," which was expected to be finished by December 13, 2022.
However, as of December 14, the project was still ongoing.
These delays in completing the project have prevented the immediate and maximum utilization of the development fund, according to COA-Northern Mindanao director Matthew Rey Magno.
In addition, doubts have been raised about the accuracy of the reported status of infrastructure projects.
During actual inspections, it was discovered that three out of the ongoing projects, which were reported as mobilized, had not yet started.
This information was highlighted in Magno's letter.
According to the auditors, city hall's implemented projects were found to be delayed by a range of four to 855 calendar days as of September 30, 2022.
However, Cabanlas emphasized that implication does not equate to guilt but expressed his desire for the issue to be thoroughly addressed and clarified for the public.
The public has the right to know and the responsibility to monitor public funds, Cabanlas stressed.
Cabanlas expressed concern about the COA report, which stated that there were projects in the city that have not been completed yet and had already been paid for by the government after receiving the 15% mobilization fund.
He strongly advocated for these issues to be investigated and clarified for the benefit of the public's knowledge.
Cabanlas's report was forwarded to the Committee on Public Works, chaired by Councilor John Michael Seno, and the Committee on Finance, chaired by Councilor Yan Lam Lim, for further investigation and recommendations.
Meanwhile, Councilor Bernie Esparcia, the chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, expressed support for Councilor Cabanlas's disclosure during the said session last Monday.
This relates to the 37 infrastructure projects that were reportedly not completed on time, according to the recurring audit report from the COA.
As a new legislator, Esparcia was glad that the issue was discussed as he also wanted to understand the correct process.
According to Esparcia, the report showed that there were projects that did not match the photographs or did not align with the actual work done, a matter that he found puzzling.
However, Esparcia explained that no specific individual was blamed for this, but he appreciated that the matter was brought before the council with the hope that it would receive due attention from the relevant committees.
