Monday, July 30, 2007 Captain on her toes to prevent hitches in school construction
WEEKS after Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña changed tack and ordered the construction of a four-story, 20-classroom school building to proceed, Barangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos hopes to avoid mistakes in using the money the Capitol donated for another Lahug Elementary School building.
“We will deliver all the requirements. We cannot make mistakes here. To the last detail of the paperwork, we will do everything right. Gamay’ng ligas kita’y alkanse (I’m sure we’ll be made to pay for the slightest lapse),” de los Santos said.
The mayor early last month canceled the building of the P15-million structure in Lahug over what he called the “lies” de los Santos told her constituents during the campaign leading to the mayoral elections last May.
After Osmeña stopped the construction of the school building last June 1, the Capitol gave P5 million to Lahug when de los Santos asked for donations for the building.
Since Osmeña changed his mind and went on with the construction, Lahug is using the Capitol money to put up another building.
Lahug already secured the program of works and estimates (Powe) and other documents and is set to publish the invitations to bid for a four-classroom building worth P2.2 million.
The remaining P2.8 million will be used to build structures for an additional four to five classrooms.
But since only the Powe for a building to be erected adjacent to the original project’s site is available, the barangay is making a four-classroom building.
De los Santos said a few more requirements, like the project blueprints, need to be secured before interested contractors can submit their bids.
Also, she said that she was already “expecting the worst” from Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan when the Oct. 29 synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections come.
“I’m already expecting nga tabangan ko nilang tanan (that they’ll all work against me). Ila gyud nang buhaton nga mahawa ko. Tommy (Mayor Tomas Osmeña) will be pouring out all of his resources. That’s a given,” de los Santos said.
She said she will leave it all up to the Lahug residents whether or not she still deserves their trust to be their barangay captain for the next three years. (RHM)
