Port's delay Sepulveda: Loot blocked contractor

CEBU, Philippines – Short of saying that Mayor Maria Luisa Loot should only blame herself for the non-completion of the ro-ro project for Malapascua island, Capitol spokesperson Rory Jon Sepulveda yesterday said that the Province had sent to Daanbantayan the winning contractor to start the infrastructure undertaking.

 But Loot, according to the Capitol lawyer, blocked the contractor that is why the port for Malapascua is left unfinished.

"Wala siya kauyon," Sepulveda said, referring to the mayor. He added that the contractor kept on going back to the town in an effort to start the project but eventually gave up.

Sepulveda claimed further that projects of the municipality remain hanging because of the mayor's interventions and the incapacity of the town to maintain the projects.

Loot earlier criticized the Provincial Government for failing to deliver projects in her town including the unfinished P15M roro port to connect to Malapascua island.

But Sepulveda explained that in a 2003-memorandum of agreement that they signed, the Daanbantayan Municipal Local Government shall be the lead unit or agency in the man-agement, administration and implementation of Malapascua island.

He said that in 2006, Loot approached the Capitol to say that the municipality could no longer sustain the maintenance of the island because of financial constraints.

The agreement was then amended to transfer the supervision and control over the island from Daanbantayan to the Provincial Government as the lead unit.

Sepulveda said that when the Capitol checked on island, provisions in the earlier signed agreement remained unenforced by the town, such as the 20-metes easement zone.

"We found out that wala ma-clear ang 20-meter easement zone, wala ma-ban ang motorized vehicles kay according niya, wala kuno siyay katakos, walay kwarta, wala tanan unya dili na kuno mahadlok ang mga tao niya," Sepulveda said.

He added that when the province took over of the responsibility alongside the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), they already identified the port, ease-ment zone and started to build the health center so it could not be said that the Province did nothing.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia stressed that despite her rift with the mayor, she will continue to deliver services to Daanbantayan, through the barangays, since the town is part of the province.

The rift between Garcia and Loot figured in news reports after the governor scolded the mayor for failing to send a delegation to the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo and yet, asking monetary assistance later for the holding of her town's Haladaya Festival.

Other issues have stemmed from that argument, such as Cebu City's giving of financial assistance to Daanbantayan for the festival and Rep. Tomas Osmeña's renewed criticisms against the governor. (FREEMAN)