Wednesday, August 02, 2006
P90 million deal for Asean 'smells'
By Rene H. Martel
CEBU CITY -- Suspecting something anomalous in an offer to set up a P90-million surveillance system in Cebu City, Mayor Tomas Osmeña flew to Manila Tuesday to confront certain officials and government agencies.
Although he did not mention names, and even declined to give details of his unscheduled trip, he said he will do so upon his return Wednesday "if there is something to report."
He did not confirm whether the proposal has something to do with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in December.
But he signed last month a request for surveillance cameras, which will be funded by the Asean national organizing committee.
If it is not approved, he is willing to have the City Government shoulder the expenses if only to ensure peace and order for the duration of the summit.
He, however, was unfamiliar with the details of the request that time.
In a press conference Tuesday, he said he objected to the cost of P300,000 per surveillance system for each intersection, saying "these are projects we didn't ask for."
He said an official approached and asked him to sign documents in relation to the proposal, which got him suspicious.
He added he looked into the details of the proposal and saw that "it is overpriced."
"I smell something very fishy. P90 million for a surveillance system?" the mayor wondered.
"They said, 'Don't worry just sign this, there are funds for this.' Mora'g hao shiao ba. That is why I'm going to Manila to find out how exactly this is structured," he added.
The mayor said that if the government has money for such a project, it might as well give what Cebu City needs to secure the Asean delegates.
City officials last week appealed to owners of business establishments along major thoroughfares to repaint the façade of their buildings before December.
The Cebu City Council last Wednesday passed a resolution requesting owners of buildings located along the routes leading to the major hotels to start repainting the structures, especially those that have not been painted at all.
Building owners will have to shoulder the repainting expenses, but the City is willing to repair damaged gutters, canals and drainage within the vicinity of their buildings in exchange for the owners' efforts.
The successful hosting of the Asean summit in Cebu rests on good preparation and organization, especially regarding security.
This is the first time Cebu is hosting the annual gathering of the 10 member-countries of Asean along with their dialogue partners such as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(August 2, 2006 issue)
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