Rama wants contractor to restore plaza and fort before Christmas

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants the contractor to rush the restoration and beautification of Plaza Independencia and Fort San Pedro to get it ready in 30 days or in time for Christmas.

The mayor wants at least the first phase of the restoration to be finished immediately because the money is already available since July. The bidding and awards committee is about to award the P16.9-million contract for the project to Geety Realty Construction.

Early this month, the fencing, which cost P1.39 million, that covered the whole plaza including the fort was completed.

The next phase will be the rehabilitation of the whole ground which will include the rehabilitation of war veterans' monument, Legaspi obelisk, Magsaysay monument and the heritage fountain.

Councilor Roberto Cabarrubias, chairman of the council's committee on infrastructure, said the P16.9-million contract will also include the excavation and earthworks, site grading, landscaping, lighting, plumbing and other electrical works.

According to Rama, there is no reason for further delay if everything is all ready.

"We should work on it as fast as we can. Anyway, there is no structure to be built, it would be all grass. If they have all the materials and all the people, we can probably do it," the mayor said.

The city has appropriated some P20 million for the first phase of the rehabilitation that was included in the Supplemental Budget No. 4.

It is also about to include in the Supplemental Budget No. 5 another P30 million for the second phase or the full blown beautification of the Plaza Independencia and the Fort San Pedro.

Aside from the beautification, Rama wants to put "decent" comfort rooms in both sides of the plaza.

Cabarrubias said they will award the contract to Geety Construction after the contractor passes the post-qualification. Geety is so far the lowest responsive bidder.

It might take three weeks from now to complete the process before the city will give the contractor the notice to proceed.

"Kung ma-award na nato, basin maka-start sila by the third week of November. To complete it within 30 days is possible if naa lang gyud commitment ang contractor to the mayor. Mahimo ra na kung 24 hours ang trabaho, unya in three shifts," Cabarrubias said. (FREEMAN)