P36 million Moalboal infra projects flagged

CEBU, Philippines — Five infrastructure projects worth P36.47 million in Moalboal, Cebu, failed to meet their targeted completion dates, delaying residents’ access to public facilities, a finding flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA).

In its audit findings, COA attributed the delays to various implementation issues that indicated deficiencies in the conduct of detailed engineering activities, surveys, and project planning before construction began.

The audit team said the circumstances behind the contractors’ requests for extensions suggested that the projects may not have been sufficiently prepared to ensure smooth implementation.

The five projects, costing ?36,472,007.57, involved the expansion of the Coast Guard office, construction of welcome signages for 15 barangays, rehabilitation of local roads in Poblacion West and Panagsama, repair of municipal roads in Poblacion West, and road concreting in Barangay Agbalanga.

The expansion of the Coast Guard office, which cost ?1,998,007.01, was delayed by 35 calendar days because the project site was occupied by vendors and was cleared only on Dec. 16, 2024.

The financial assistance project for the construction of welcome signages in 15 barangays, worth ?4,498,954.66, received two extensions totaling 90 calendar days.

The first extension of 60 days was attributed to road right-of-way concerns in four locations in Barangays Lanao, Tomonoy, Poblacion East, and Tunga. The second extension of 30 days was granted due to unfavorable weather conditions.

Meanwhile, the rehabilitation of local roads from Poblacion West to Panagsama in Barangay Basdiot, costing ?9,995,000, was delayed by 50 calendar days, according to the project details in the audit report.

The delay was attributed to a change in the road width design from six meters to 6.7 meters, which affected the project’s scope and execution and required the relocation of existing utilities.

The audit report noted that several underground and overhead utilities, including power lines and waterlines, were located within the project’s right-of-way, indicating that the necessary surveys and design assessments may not have been comprehensive during the planning stage.

Another road project, the repair and rehabilitation of municipal roads in Poblacion West worth ?9,997,045.90, incurred a 40-calendar-day extension because of significant traffic congestion caused by a concurrent Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) project.

The road concreting project in Barangay Agbalanga, which cost ?9,983,000, received the longest extension at 135 calendar days.

The contractor cited hard-rock excavation that caused the excavator to overheat, along with unpredictable rainy weather, as reasons for the extension.

COA said the delays pointed to possible shortcomings in compliance with detailed engineering requirements under Section 3, Annex A of the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of Republic Act No. 9184.

The guidelines require local government units to undertake necessary field surveys and investigations, including topographic and subsurface surveys, in accordance with applicable design standards. Site or right-of-way acquisition plans must also be prepared based on the required surveys.

COA also cited Section 3.2.3 of the Department of Budget and Management, Department of Finance and Department of the Interior and Local Government Joint Memorandum Circular No. 1, dated Nov. 4, 2022, which requires development projects funded through the 20% Development Fund to be well-planned and ready for procurement and implementation.

In response to the audit team's query, the municipal engineer said the detailed engineering review was conducted only as necessary to assess the technical impact of the reasons cited in the contractors’ extension requests, particularly their effects on project scope, quantities and timelines.

The municipal engineer also submitted the contractors’ extension requests, approved extensions, inspection or evaluation reports, and variation reports, when applicable. The response stated that no major redesign was undertaken unless covered by approved variation orders.

However, COA maintained that the circumstances behind the delays indicated that detailed engineering investigations, surveys and designs may not have been sufficiently completed before the projects were bid out.

“Had the Management adhered to the requirements in the detailed engineering guidelines and acted on these project site issues during the preliminary stages of the project and not during the implementation stage, delays could have been avoided,” the audit team said.

COA recommended that the municipal government resolve land-related issues during project preparation and comply with detailed engineering guidelines to help ensure the timely completion of infrastructure projects.

In its reply, the municipal government acknowledged the areas for improvement and committed to strengthening its procedures to prevent similar findings from recurring. These include requiring written communications confirming site readiness, improving coordination with concerned offices and national agencies, and implementing a site-clearing mechanism before finalizing procurement schedules.

The municipal government also said it would explore partnerships or outsourcing arrangements for specialized subsurface soil investigations, particularly for projects in mountainous areas. (CEBU NEWS)