CEBU Gov. Pamela Baricuatro announced on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, that some contractors may be blacklisted from future provincial projects due to substandard performance.
This follows a review of 154 infrastructure projects, which led to the suspension of many works. The Capitol also officially terminated the bulk water project in Alegria, which was only 18 percent complete.
UNCOVERED LAPSES. The suspension order, issued Aug. 22 through Baricuatro’s memorandum, covered 140 projects under the Provincial Engineering Office’s construction division and 14 under its waterworks division. The review uncovered lapses such as missed deadlines, failure to follow building requirements and the absence of key documents like feasibility studies.
Earlier, the Capitol had already allowed 77 suspended projects to resume after review. But in Alegria’s case, the lapses were so serious that the bulk water project — a joint venture reportedly involving contractor Cezarah Rowena “Sarah” Discaya — was scrapped entirely.
The governor framed the move as a quality-control measure. “We cannot allow them to do more work in the province with that kind of performance,” Baricuatro said. Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces said the Provincial Government’s bids and awards committee (BAC) will determine which contractors face blacklisting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE. The decision could reshape how infrastructure is built in Cebu Province. For communities, this means both potential delays and improved accountability.
Scrapping the Alegria bulk water project underscores the cost of weak project vetting: a vital supply project left unfinished and back at square one. Meanwhile, the Malabuyoc bulk water project — also linked to the same firms — will proceed, as it is already 95 percent complete and only awaiting a power supply connection.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW YET. Which contractors will be blacklisted and how many? Will sanctions extend beyond suspensions to legal or financial remedies? And what safeguards will the Capitol put in place to ensure future projects don’t suffer the same fate?
WHAT’S NEXT. The Alegria bulk water project will be rebid after review. Some of the 128 other suspended projects may face termination if noncompliance persists.
For now, the Capitol’s BAC holds the key decisions on blacklisting. The larger test will be whether these moves restore public trust in the Province’s infrastructure program — or simply highlight deeper structural problems in project approval and monitoring. / CDF