Paging the Commission on Audit and the Ombudsman

Sometime ago, I saw a poster that showed a beautiful vintage ship in port. Its three masts were gleaming and its sails neatly tucked away. The wooden handrails that lined up to the exquisite bridge indicated careful craftsmanship. Below the picture was a line that read: “Ships are safe in port, but that’s not what they are made for”.

I do not know who authored that line. Please pardon my seeming ignorance. But each time I pass by the Cebu City North Reclamation area, along that portion that exits from a big mall towards Mandaue City, I remember that quote. You see, there is a property (which I believe is owned by the city government) that is being fenced by large concrete culverts. Yes, it must be true that those huge and very expensive culverts that are wastefully converted as fence may be safe at the reclamation area than being buried along waterways, but that’s not what they are made for!

There are too many areas in the city that need those gargantuan culverts. Ask the residents near the Talamban campus of the University of San Carlos and their collective information will shock you. In fact, lined along a number of city streets are narrow culverts of generations ago, needing replacements. An example is Bonifacio Street in the adjoining Barangays of Parian, Tinago and T. Padilla. When new and wide culverts are properly installed, they can help prevent the occurrence of flash floods.

But, let me back track a little bit by asking who conceptualized the project that resulted in the mayor’s directing the making of those culverts. I ask this question because from what little I know, each time the government allocates some funds, the expenditure is supposedly based upon a targeted project. Some government functionaries prepare what they call as “programs of work and estimates.” In the case of the city, such POWE is presented for approval and budgetary allocation at the city council. When that is done, the specific execution of the program depends upon the order of the chief executive.

Many of us who have such inconsequential experiences as fixing our own home drainage system have paid for few concrete culverts of such narrow diameter as 4, maybe ten inches. In other words, we know the cost of such small materials. Oh, not very long ago, I purchased 48-inch culverts at a cost of P2,800 a piece. I wanted to buy 6, but I only made do with 4 because the cost was very burdensome.

How much of our taxes were spent to buy the culverts I am writing about? Easily, there are hundreds of them used at the reclamation area as perimeter fence. Before high government authorities attempt to remove these culverts and hide them somewhere else, the Commission on Audits can go to the place I am referring to and physically count. That is the most basic thing to do. Then, they can compute the amount of wasted taxes.

I am sure that COA can establish the elements of technical malversation. There is no question that using culverts as fence amounts to technical malversation, at the very least. When its documents are completed, it can coordinate with the Office of the Ombudsman to prosecute the responsible parties. Who are they?

I can only assume that the culverts I am talking about in this column must have been made, in relation with the POWE, upon the instructions of the city chief executive. It is worth our while to know where these culverts were planned to be used to. Which water tributary in what barangays were they supposed to line up to? In failing to use the culverts as programmed and in misusing these materials as fence, somebody must answer. For certainly, no one ever dreamed of constructing culverts to be used as fence!

The person responsible for such form of misappropriation can be held accountable criminally. He cannot even escape liability be raising the argument that he is only taking advantage of the availability the culverts rather than allow them to deteriorate because culverts are not made as fences!

Having raised these points, may COA and the OMBUDSMAN join hands to investigate.