Architect Guanzon threatens to file case vs. Saavedra

The architect who supervised the construction of the controversial Cebu International Convention Center threatened to file a case against businessman Crisologo Saavedra for giving out documents showing that he received over P16 million as consultancy fee.

Manuel Guanzon denied the allegation that he collected as much as P16.8 million in consultancy fee from the provincial government, saying that his contract was worth only between P12 million to P14 million and that he only collected a little over one-half of the amount.

"Dili na tinuod. Ikiha nako siya pataka lang siya," Guanzon said over dyLA.

When asked what charges he will file against Saavedra after the businessman submitted the documents to the Office of the Ombudsman, Guanzon said, "Ambot unsay kaso akong ikiha niya. Wa ko kahibawo mangonsulta pa ko sa akong mga abogado."

Guanzon admitted that several contractors were involved in the project because the work was divided based on their expertise. He could not, however, give the exact number of those contractors because it was the provincial government that took care of the bidding.

Guanzon defended the splitting of the contract, saying that this is normally done to reduce the project cost. He explained that the provincial government made a direct procurement of the materials from suppliers instead of getting them from contractors.

But Guanzon could not confirm whether the list of contractors and suppliers, and the amounts in the documents submitted by Saavedra to the Ombudsman the other day on CICC’s construction expenses are accurate.

In a two-page document he submitted to the Ombudsman, Saavedra showed the identities of the contractors and suppliers of materials for the CICC, other than the WT Construction, which won the bidding.

The contractors and suppliers included Kima Glass for the glass works, showcase carpet for the carpeting works; Anthony Construction for painting works; Kilton Motors for generator set; KPI Elevators, Inc. for the elevators and escalators; Trane Philippines fort air-conditioning equipment; California Electronics for CCTV, public address system and structured cabling; NH International Construction Development for ducting of the air-conditioning; Diamond Interior Industry Corporation for metal cladding; Gertudes Plaza, Abellana Sand and Gravel, and Aristea Codeniera for landscaping; and Jerecon Enterprises for fire protection.

The documents revealed that the government spent P8.3 million for the glass works, P396,154.80 for electrical works, P7,928,502.50 for carpeting works and P208,287.50 for the painting works.

They also showed that the government spent P119,223,995.84 for the civil works, which covered the sub-structure and the superstructure of the CICC.

The generator set costs P12,590,000 while the elevators and escalators costs P7,270,140. The air-conditioning equipment costs P26,548,230 and the ducting works cost P15,203,474.62. The bulk of the budget accounts for the structural steel, which costs more than P300 million.

Based on the documents, an initial allocation of P107,008,083.05 for the structural steel and another P200 million for the structural steel were paid to the winning contractor, WT Construction.

Of the amounts listed in the documents, Guanzon confirmed only the P119, 223, 995.84 for the sub-structure. He said the amount does not cover the superstructure contrary to what is shown in Saavedra’s documents. — Fred P. Languido/LPM