|
Monday, May 12, 2003
P523M sewerage project still in limbo
By Edwin G. Espejo
IF General Santos Vice Mayor Florentina Congson were to be believed, the multimillion sewerage and sewage treatment project in Baluan still faces a bleak prospect.
This after majority of the members of the City Council reportedly decided to hold more public consultations in spite of the May deadline set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to avail of the loan package.
Congson said they needed more time to fully discuss the P523-million project funded by a Japanese bank.
The vice mayor said they consulted former Mayor Adelbert Antonino who reportedly questioned the huge amount of the proposed infrastructure project.
She said when it was first proposed towards the end of former mayor Rosalita Nuņez' term, the project was reportedly pegged at only P200 million.
In addition, Antonino reportedly questioned the P100 million consultant's fee included in the loan package.
Moreover, Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. earlier claimed the city could not afford to subsidize the P9-million annual maintenance and operating cost of the sewage treatment plant.
Acharon also said they are studying the possibility of the Local Water Utilities Administration taking over the operation of the treatment plant.
But Congson said the local water district here could not even cope up with its collection and revenue problems.
Also, the vice mayor said the people might not be amenable to the idea of paying 35 per cent more of their water bill as payment for the sewerage system services.
The proposed project was included in the agenda of the City Council in its regular session Thursday.
The session, however, did not push through for lack of quorum.
(May 9, 2003 issue)
Want Sun.Star news on your mobile phone? Click here.
Write letter to the editor. Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here. |
|
[ return
to top ]
[ home
]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
