Ouano finalizing government center work stoppage

CEBU, Philippines — Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano will finalize a stoppage order on the construction of the ?2.5-billion Mandaue City Government Center in Barangay Tipolo.

The mayor, however, assured the public that the order will be lifted once the contractor, WT Construction Inc., submits and complies with the necessary documents and requirements, including the Detailed Engineering Design and Estimates, to the City Engineering Department.

Ouano’s decision follows a recommendation from the Mandaue City Engineering Office to stop the ongoing construction, after the contractor failed to fulfill its obligations.

“Mag-finalize pa ‘ko nga stoppage na g’yud ani’ng construction sa WT until ma-comply ang needed nga additional design and plans nga gipangayo sa City Engineering,” said the mayor.

On August 19, the City Engineering Office recommended a two-week suspension of the contractor citing that, under standard building procedures, contractors are required to submit a Detailed Engineering Design and Estimates (DEDE) within four months of receiving the notice to proceed.

For the government center project, the notice to proceed was issued on September 27 last year, which meant the design and estimates should have been submitted by January this year.

However, WTC Inc. was reported to have yet to complete the required submissions. “Supposedly, January this year, unya unsa naman taw’ng buwana ‘ron,” the mayor said.

Mayor Ouano shared that, when city engineers informed him on August 19 about the deficiency, he granted the contractor an additional week to comply.

The contractor eventually submitted documents on August 26, but these are still under review to determine whether they are complete and compliant with engineering standards.

Mayor Ouano clarified that he is not against the construction of the new Mandaue City Government Center, but emphasized that all necessary documents must first be submitted to avoid potential risks once the building begins to rise.

“Again, okay g’yud kaayo ko ‘ana nga project. Ganahan kaayo ko nga madayon ‘na, pero di’ sad pwede nga dili sakto ang dokumento ba,” he said.

The mayor stressed that the new Government Center must be closely monitored, as it involves a ?2.5 billion budget funded through a loan that the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) granted to the city. Of this amount, ?500 million is allocated for essential facilities and equipment inside the building.

“Dili ni ginagmay-gagmay lang,” the mayor quipped, as he also emphasized that the contractor must comply, stressing that he cannot risk the safety of employees once the offices are transferred to the new government center structure.

“Hopefully, sa side sa contractor iya na na’ng ma-fulfill and ma-satisy ang engineering. Pwede ra g’yud ‘na nato i-lift dayon ang stoppage order,” said Ouano.

Ouano, however, said he has not yet reached the point of considering another contractor, noting that such a move would surely cause further delays in the construction.

He added that if the current contractor fails to meet the standards, he will rely on the recommendation of the City Engineering Office and seek advice from the City Legal Department on whether to proceed with another round of bidding.

“But, if ingon ‘ana na case madugay na sad, and I’m sure mu-counter sad ‘ni ang existing contractor,” said Ouano.

If that happens, the construction of the Government Center would be delayed by another year. For now, the city will wait for WT Construction Inc. to complete its documents.

During his inspection last July, Ouano noted that the project was only 12 percent complete, with work still focused on laying out the foundation of the Center.  — (FREEMAN)