BAC: No anomaly in school building construction
BACOLOD CITY -- Acting City Administrator Atty. Goldwyn Nifras, concurrent chairman of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), denied yesterday the allegation hurled by Mayor Evelio Leonardia's critics that there was double funding in the construction of a 3-story building of Sum-ag Elementary School.
The statement was issued by Atty. Nifras after he learned that the matter is now a political issue discussed over the airlanes by some blocktime broadcasters.
Nifras clarified that last 2008, the Local School Board presented a proposed plan for the construction of Sum-ag Elementary School Extension Building with 18 classrooms.
The budget proposed by the Local School Board reached to P10.6 million. "Since the budget available for the first phase is only P3.6 million, it was released and implemented last year," Nifras said.
He also clarified that this year 2009, another phase of program of works is to be implemented with an aggregate amount of P7 million. Nifras said that under the Procurement Act, if the budget reaches to more than P5 million, it is incumbent and appropriate for the BAC to undertake a bidding process. The school building construction has been the subject of criticism because the bidding process for additional funds will be on July 21, 2009 although the project has already started last year.
It was also discussed by some critics that there is something wrong with the project because the contractor for P7 million is still unknown since the City Engineer's Office, had already completed six classrooms for the Sum-ag Elementary School. Nifras defended that there is no anomaly with the project because the program of works is implemented in two phases.