Margot wants list of projects sans council approval from BAC chair

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña is asking the chairman of the bids and awards committee to give her a copy of the list of contractors who won in the 46 infrastructure projects implemented by the city government.

Osmeña, chairperson of the finance and budget committee of the City Council, asked lawyer Rafael Christopher Yap to provide her committee with the list of projects that did not have the authority from the council but were given notices to proceed.

Osmeña, whose husband South District Representative Tomas Osmeña is running for mayor against incumbent Michael Rama, is questioning several city government projects for lack of approval from the city council.

Among the projects that Osmeña has questioned are the P167 million reconstruction of the Unit 2 Carbon Market building and the P50.4 million clearing and embankment of 2.2-kilometer road project at the South Road Properties.

The council has already asked the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas to look into the legality of Rama’s entering into contracts with private contractors without authority from the City Council.

According to Osmeña, while the mayor is allowed to enter into contracts on behalf of the local government unit as provided for under Section 455 of the Local Government Code but he needs to seek the approval of the members of the council first.

Osmeña wanted to know whether the BAC had already issued the notice to proceed for the P6.9 million construction of Inayawan Market 1 and 2; the P7.9 million construction of single span bridge in Barangay Buot-Taup, P5.1 million construction of Taptap Barangay Hall, and several other projects like drainage, road improvements and constructions of school buildings and other projects.

Councilor Jose Daluz III, Rama’s ally in the council, argued that the authority from the City Council is no longer necessary for some of the projects because it was already indicated in the annual budget.

But Osmeña argued citing a Supreme Court ruling that council approval is necessary if the funds needed for the project will be charged against lump sum appropriations. –/FPL (FREEMAN)