Ombudsman warns Treñas vs. paying ABE
Ombudsman for Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago has expressed her intention to meet with the city officials of Iloilo relative to the latter's plan to pay Ace Builders Enterprises (ABE), contractor of the mothballed socialized housing project in Pavia, Iloilo, the amount of P14.2 million as remaining balance.
Santiago earlier wrote Mayor Jerry Treñas to be wary of the plan to pay ABE the purported balance payable to the contractor.
"Please take precaution in whatever action you may take on the matter especially if this will involve release of public funds in view of the pending cases at our Office, " reads Santiago's letter.
Santiago and Treñas incidentally met during the opening of the Ombudsman Visayas Regional Office in CAP Building, Gen. Luna St. middle of August.
The mayor, reportedly, has already instructed Atty. Edgar Gil, chief of the City Legal Office to arrange the meeting with Santiago. No date has been set yet.
To note, the result of the investigation conducted by the previous Sangguniang Panlungsod has recommended the filing of charges against Treñas, former Mayor Mansueto Malabor and several members of the city council in relation to the housing project which eventually became a white-elephant. A copy of the result of the council's recommendation was furnished to the Ombudsman Visayas.
The Ombudsman directed those who were recommended to face charges to file their counter-affidavits. Nothing was then heard from the Ombudsman about the case.
The city's plan to pay the ABE was based on the assessment made by COA's Technical Audit Specialists who were sent by the commission to examine, inspect and report on the work accomplishment in the construction site.
In the COA report, The P14.2 million is some P5.5 million less of the earlier billing submitted by Ace Builders following confirmation that substandard materials were used and "deficient" units constructed.
The Commission in its report to City officials moved to deduct the P5.5 million as computed of the substandard and deficiency discovered. Other COA findings disclosed the conflicting City Engineer's and Ace Builder's work accomplishment in the thickness of the total land area developed in terms of clearing and grubbing.
COA also suggested that the item "Excavation" in the construction be deleted in the contract for the total project area is "on fill." Simply put, there is nothing to excavate. The COA's technical audit was made back in November last year.
Treñas through the City Legal Office earlier endorsed to the Sangguniang Panglungsod the COA's evaluation relative to the city's remaining payables to ABE amounting to P14.2 million.
The City Council in turn referred the matter to the committee on infrastructure headed by City Councilor Jed Patrick Mabilog.
Mabilog, for his part, called for a public hearing to determine if it is appropriate for the city pay ABE.
He has invited past and present councilors as well as other concerned city officials to attend the public hearing first week of September.
The city's socialized housing project in Pavia, Iloilo worth P125 million has remained untouched since alleged anomalies in its construction were exposed in the media by a sub-contractor in 2002.
The more than 100 housing units sitting on a city government lot in Pavia, Iloilo initially built by ABE is slowly being cannibalized by unscrupulous individuals while the city government has yet to undertake concrete actions to resolve the mess.