Tuesday, April 17, 2007 Saavedra not an expert, Guanzon says By Minerva B. Gerodias Sun.Star Staff Reporter
ARCHITECT Manuel Guanzon questioned Crisologo Saavedra’s competence for saying that the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) is allegedly overpriced.
Saavedra, in his letter addressed to Acting Visayas Deputy Ombudsman Virginia Palanca Santiago, is asking the anti-graft office to look into the construction expenses of the CICC for possible overpricing.
Saavedra had said the CICC should only cost P17,000 per square meter.
He said the CICC has an area of about 27,000 square meters and “computing it at the standard present rate per square meter, the total cost of the construction will not exceed more than P500 million.”
Capitol spent P515 million for the CICC.
“Does he know what he was talking about? I don’t think so because first he is not an architect, second he is not a contractor. Not even contractors in Cebu in their right mind can give us an industry standard cost estimate for a convention center,” Guanzon told reporters yesterday.
He is asking if Saavedra has included in his estimates the site development of the 30,000-square-meter land with parking lot, landscape, place and fence.
Saavedra should also take note of the top of the line elevator and escalators, automatic sprinkler system, 985-ton air-conditioning unit, 5,000-square-meter carpet, generator set, 600 square-meter water feature, the more than 1.3 million kilograms of structural steel as well as the 930 piles driven for the substructure as the CICC is on a reclaimed area.
“Let him compute that. Let them sharpen their pencil and run a cost of these items…. Basin makuya-pan sila (They might pass out),” he said.
Guanzon further explained that different construction methods were used even in the same building type, so the price cannot really be directly compared.
He said the nearest comparison is between the CICC and the PICC because both are convention centers, built using a structural steel and on a reclaimed area.
But he pointed out that in 1976, the PICC already cost P25,000 per square meter.
“How did he come up with P17,000 and who is he to say it’s P17,000? Is he competent to do it?” Guanzon added.
He also said that if there is an issue here, it must be under pricing because “the governor is running this as if this is a private enterprise.”
Guanzon explained that they were able to get a good price for top of the line products installed in CICC because of how Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia “controlled” the price.
“Kun dunay angay masuko, ang mga contractor. Nganong sila man? Nagtoo sila nga gisugo sila ug pulitiko madaut mi? Kun Makita ni dayon nila, basin mapildi na hinuon sila ug ma-hero ang governor because here’s a lady who was able to build a structure as beautiful as CICC at a less cost (If somebody has to be upset, it has to be the contractor. Why them? They thought that if they were told to by politicians they can destroy us? If they would immediately see this, they might lose),” he said.
Saavedra also wants the ombudsman to look into the reports of non-payment to contractors and the “delay and refusal of the Provincial Government to put these into accounting.”
Guanzon admitted that nobody among the contractors have been fully paid, as the Project Monitoring Committee and the Provincial Government still need to “appreciate and evaluate” the contractors’ work.
Guanzon said this will take time but the public need not worry because in due time, they will come up with a detailed accounting.
“Nganong dali-dalion man ni nato? Importante ni kay kwarta ni sa katawhan. Aron mapareha ni sa lampposts (Why do we have to hurry? This is important because this is people’s money. So this will be likened to the lampposts)?” Guanzon added.
Saavedra is the same person who asked the anti-graft office to look into the P365.87-million decorative lampposts deal for alleged overpricing.
His complaints led to the six-month preventive suspension of Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza and several City Hall engineers and Department of Public Works and Highways officials.
