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Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Gonzalez nixes repairs on Housing units
By Ronilo Ladrido Pamonag
MAKING repairs on the units in the City Government's P130 million Housing project will be an unwise move to take, Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Raul Gonzalez Sr. said Monday.
This comes in the wake of last week's statement of Mayor Jerry Treņas that they might tell project contractor Ace Builders and Enterprises (ABE) to instead change the substandard materials used in several units in the project intended for City Government employees in Barangay Ungka 1, Pavia.
"Sometimes, it is even harder to make repairs than to build a new one," the lawmaker said.
According to Gonzalez, the City Government should "rescind the contract, make a new bidding, (and) get a new contractor."
Changing the substandard materials used in the project, the deputy speaker for the Visayas cited, will cost more than the actual construction itself.
As this developed, he said that the City Government should get contractors based in the City.
"My criteria has always been 'all things equal.' We should get an Ilonggo contractor," he stressed.
Contractors based in the City "will do the job better (compared to other contractors) because they are working for their townmates," Gonzalez said.
He wondered why the City had to get a contractor that is from Metro Manila, when there are also competent contractors here in the City.
"Why did we look for a contractor in Manila when there are a lot of contractors here in Iloilo? What do the contractors in Manila have to do with what happens here? They would just concern themselves to collecting their fees. They have no concerns about the people who will live in the houses," Gonzalez remarked.
The ABE, it was learned, is a Manila-based construction firm owned by Alexander Trinidad.
Several councilors have been calling for the rescission of the contract with the ABE.
In its report and recommendation on the Housing probe, the committee on good government of the City Council suggested that Mayor Jerry Treņas terminate the contract for ABE's "material breach of contract."
The council also has passed two resolutions calling on Treņas to rescind the contract.
When reached for comment, Treņas was mum on whether to rescind or not.
He said he will refer the matter to the Task Force on Housing and to the City Legal Office for study and recommendation.
The mayor said last week that he will have come up with a stand on what to do on the Housing problem anytime this week.
September last year, labor subcontractor Rudy Gonzalez told Treņas that substandard materials were used in the project.
A team from the City Engineer's Office confirmed Gonzalez' complaints-that materials, not specified in the plan, were used in more than 20 units in the project.
Last week, the lawyer Leo Moserrate, counsel for ABE, said that his client is willing to change substandard materials in the project.
"If there are, indeed, substandard materials in the project," Monserrate stressed.
According to him, both the ABE and the City Government will again have to go back to the contract and specifications to determine if his client used substandard materials in the P130-million Housing project in Pavia.
Likewise, he assured that if the ABE turns over the project to the City Government, all materials used will be according to the plans and specifications.
This is similar to what ABE Project Manager John Joseph told Sun.Star Iloilo earlier.
Joseph said that they are willing to correct their mistakes, while also giving his assurance that materials will be according to specifications upon turn over to the City Government.
(April 15, 2003 issue)
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