Friday, November 23, 2007 CH to buy new equipment out of calamity funds
CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña warned City Hall suppliers not to sell them junk and repossessed heavy equipment when they buy some in the coming weeks in preparation for calamities.
The City Government’s bids and awards committee has already blacklisted some suppliers of repossessed units and other distributors who intend to join the bidding should be warned, the mayor said.
While he prefers to buy new equipment that come with a warranty on parts and services, the City will be able to save a lot of money on surplus equipment.
The City Council already approved the use of P37.5 million in calamity funds for rehabilitation works after storm Lando, and for the purchase of several surplus heavy equipment for disaster response and relief operations.
In an interview yesterday, the mayor justified the amount appropriated for the purchase of equipment, saying the City is lacking in heavy equipment for regular projects and services, much less for emergency response.
The last heavy equipment the City bought was during his first term yet, 12 years ago, he said.
“This is the perennial issue. Do we buy brand new heavy equipment for P25 million or a surplus unit for P6 million? Theoretically, we can save a lot if surplus but they sell us units that were used for many years and then repossessed, so gubaon gyud (really beyond repair),” Osmeña lamented.
The mayor said he learned that there are heavy equipment suppliers in Cebu who are selling such units, and they have already been blacklisted at City Hall.
“I’m giving a warning already to the suppliers. Do not give us junk like what some of them have done. If it’s a surplus unit, it’s used but it should not be garbage that’s not working. Some of them you can use for a month then after that guba na gyud (it’s beyond repair),” he continued.
The mayor said the City lacks heavy equipment since most of them are being used at the Inayawan sanitary landfill and it cannot be pulled out for other purposes.
With the calamity funds, the City will buy several bulldozers and backhoes, as well as chainsaws, water pumps and generator sets in preparation for disaster response during typhoons and other calamities.
Aside from the purchase of equipment, the mayor said he is also willing to spend for Cebu City’s own weather tracking system that relies on the Internet for weather updates.
Osmeña believes the tracking system proposed by Councilor Sylvan Jakosalem will help the City in terms of capability building, and not rely heavily on the government’s weather bureau. (LCR)
