“IT’S wasted, neglected and gone.”
This was the statement of Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya after he inspected the city’s warehouses and the old City Engineer’s Office (CEO) in Barangays Taculing and Alijis Saturday, September 6, 2025, where he found at least 4,800 hardened cement bags.
Gasataya said it is alarming and that he already ordered a full investigation and the filing of appropriate charges against the persons responsible for the neglected supplies of the city.
“Heads will roll. This will not be swept under the rug. We cannot and we will not allow this kind of neglect to go unanswered,” Gasataya said.
He added that the hardened cement bags were intended for the city’s projects being implemented by the CEO.
The mayor said that currently, the CEO has a total of 12,000 bags of cement in the two warehouses of the city.
Gasataya said the bags of cement that hardened had been neglected for a long time.
“We will determine when they purchased the supply and why they failed to use it in the city’s projects, which cost at least P1 million,” Gasataya said.
Aside from the wasted money, he said this should serve as a call for the government to safeguard the city’s properties and establish a system to prevent similar incidents.
On August 29, 2025, Gasataya issued a memorandum creating a team composed of the Internal Audit, General Services Office, and CEO to conduct an inventory of the city’s stocks and supplies.
“Bacolod City deserves better. Our people deserve better so we should do better,” the mayor said.
Aside from the ongoing construction of a new warehouse along the Reclamation Area, which costs P67 million, Gasataya said they need another warehouse to immediately transfer the city’s supply to ensure the safety and quality of the materials.
Gasataya said he already asked the GSO to find a location for a centralized warehouse for Bacolod.
He said that currently, the city has existing warehouses in Barangays Taculing and Alijis.
“It’s very difficult to conduct an inventory, so it’s very important to have a centralized warehouse in one location only,” he added.
The mayor also inspected the warehouse in Barangay Alijis within the compound of the City Agriculture Office, including the Midway Facility that was used during the Covid-19 pandemic but now serves as temporary office storage for various departments.
For his part, Engineer Loben Ceballos, CEO head, said this kind of problem is unavoidable due to the condition of the warehouse, which is full of stock, especially construction materials.
He said they have an ongoing construction of a new warehouse along the Reclamation Area, which costs P67 million, to address the problem.
“But while the construction is ongoing, we cannot avoid having damaged materials,” he added.
Ceballos noted that based on their report, the hardened bags of cement had been stored for several years, dating back to when supplies were moved from the old storage area during the construction of the Bacolod City College (BCC).
One of the city’s warehouses is located inside the compound of BCC.
Ceballos said they will hold a meeting to determine how they can use the hardened cement bags that can no longer be used for construction. (MAP)
