Capitol to sell P100M worth of equipment

The Cebu provincial government is set to auction off more than P100 million worth of heavy equipment from its 12 engineering task forces.

But Provincial Board Member Victor Maambong said the three resolutions filed by Board Member Jose Maria Gastardo calling for an inventory and the selling of the equipment were preemptive to the plans of the executive department.

The first resolution requested the Provincial Engineer's Office and the Provincial General Services Office to furnish the board committee on provincial and municipal properties with an inventory of all the province-owned equipment.

The second resolution gives preference to municipalities in the selling of the equipment, while the third calls for guidelines on the disposal of the equipment.

The three resolutions, which were approved by the board during its regular session yesterday, cited Governor Gwendolyn Garcia's desire to dispose of the Capitol-owned equipment to effect her plans to outsource personnel for certain departments.

It was also decided that the provincial engineer and the provincial general services officer would be invited in the next session to shed light over the planned outsourcing of personnel.

Maambong, however, said it is not yet confirmed whether Garcia will dispose of the equipment and venture into outsourcing. "Why worry when the time will come for us to see the contracts, it is not the right time," Maambong said.

Board Member Juan Bolo supported Maambong's sentiments, saying that inquiring from the governor on her plans is an encroachment into her prerogative.

But Board Member Gabriel Luis Quisumbing reasoned out that there are already several indications that the governor would embark on outsourcing Capitol personnel.

He said these indications include the board's approval of the early retirement plan, which gives benefits to more than 200 Provincial Engineer's Office personnel, whose contracts will end by June 30, and the plan to sell the equipment since the maintenance of provincial roads will now be contracted.

"Initial steps were already taken, the passage of the ERP, we just want to be ahead of time, and the matter also involved appropriation," Quisumbing said.

Quisumbing said there is already an appropriation of P100 million that was included in the Annual Budget and Annual Investment Plan to acquire heavy equipment for this year.

But because of the sudden change of heart by the governor to eventually venture into outsourcing of infrastructure projects, Quisumbing said it is but proper for the board to know where the P100 million will be spent.