Council wants delayed slope protection projects assessed

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City Council has sought a review of delayed slope protection projects in two barangays as it pushes for a broader investigation into unfinished, suspended, and abandoned infrastructure projects across the city.

The move stemmed from a resolution authored by Councilor Alvin Arcilla seeking a review of the contracts covering the slope protection projects in barangays Agsungot and Binaliw.

Arcilla's resolution cited an inspection at the site where no personnel were reportedly found working.

The projects were awarded to NRMM Construction and Development Corp., which received a Notice to Proceed on June 27, 2025.

The Agsungot slope protection project was valued at P16.39 million, while the Binaliw project was valued at more than P18 million.

But what initially appeared to be a straightforward referral to the Cebu City Contract Termination Review Committee (CTRC) triggered a lengthy discussion at the council.

During deliberations, Councilor Mikel Rama, chairman of the Committee on Laws, pointed out that the executive order creating the CTRC limits the committee's jurisdiction to cases referred by the Office of the Mayor.

Rama said his review of the executive order showed that the CTRC was intended to act on referrals coming from the mayor's office and not directly from other offices or the City Council.

"It's exclusive that the committee has jurisdiction over cases referred to it by the Office of the Mayor," Rama said during the discussion, adding that the appropriate course of action would be for the council to refer the matter to the mayor's office for possible endorsement to the CTRC.

Following Rama's clarification, the council agreed to modify the proposed resolution.

The original proposal to directly refer the matter to the CTRC was dropped, with the body instead adopting a referral route through the Office of the Mayor before any possible endorsement to the review committee.

In a separate resolution, Arcilla urged the CTRC to investigate infrastructure projects that have remained unfinished, suspended, or without substantial progress for periods ranging from six months to one year and six months.

He said prolonged delays defeat the purpose of the projects, deprive residents of needed infrastructure and services, and lock up public funds that could otherwise be used for other priority programs.

The resolution calls on the committee to determine whether sufficient grounds exist to terminate contracts involving delayed or abandoned projects and to recommend the initiation of termination proceedings when legally warranted. — (FREEMAN)