Council okays P849T radio contract

ALTHOUGH Cebu City Hall has yet to pay P300,000 to two radio stations and a TV network for air time in radio programs and commercials, the City Council authorized Mayor Michael Rama to sign a six-month contract with another radio station.

The contract will cost City Hall P849,000, or P141,600 a month for a two-hour program over radio dyRF of Word Broadcasting Corp.

Records at the Cebu City Public Information Office reveal that radio dySS billed City Hall P161,521.17 for a radio program while Bombo Radyo is asking for P81,000.

GMA 7 also billed City Hall for aired advertisements worth P44,000.

As for the dyRF contract, the City Council has appropriated funds for the radio program Banat Sugbo under the information dissemination item of the annual budget.

TV

The program is aired between 2 and 4 p.m. from Monday to Saturday.

Early this year, the Council also approved the resolution to charge P465,000 from the maintenance and operating expenses to pay for its regular television program in the Cebu Catholic Television Network.

Rama has allotted P1.7 million for the City Hall Hotline program, which will use radio stations to air accomplishments of the City Government.

In another development, City Hall decided to pay a caterer for services rendered last year but refused to yield to a contractor who wants to claim P3.5 million as income loss for idled equipment.

Rama said Red Carpet Catering Services will be paid P4.2 million for food and drinks served to teachers who worked in different precincts in Cebu City during the May 10, 2010 elections.

Lapses

Last March, the Commission on Audit (COA) suspended the payment for Red Carpet after it found problems in the procurement procedure. The lapses included lack of bidding.

COA waived its right to pre-audit the catering service.

Eva Cabrera, state auditor IV of COA-Cebu City, said they will wait for the disbursement vouchers to reach their office for post- audit, before determining if there will be disallowances.

The City Accounting Office issued an accountant’s advice for the payment of the City’s obligation to Red Carpet but “with objection” due to COA’s observations.

As for the requests of N & N Construction, the City Attorney’s Office said the contractor cannot claim income loss of P3.5 million, in relation to the rehabilitation of a road in Barangay Sinsin.

In a legal opinion, City Hall lawyer Ferdinand Cañete said the contractor took a risk and defied a Department of Engineering and Public Works order not to proceed with the implementation of the project, pending the finalization of its revised plan.