CICC WHISTLEBLOWER TO OMBUDS: Subpoenas eyed for all contractors

Businessman Crisologo Saavedra yesterday took his whistleblower role a notch higher by asking the Office of the Ombudsman to subpoena all contractors involved in the construction of the controversial Cebu International Convention Center, one of the sites in the 12th Asean Summit held here in January.

Saavedra provided the anti-graft office with documents containing identities of contractors and suppliers involved in the CICC other than WT Construction which won the bidding.

Among the contractors named in the documents submitted by Saavedra are Kima Glass for the glassworks, Showcase Carpets for the carpeting works, Anthony Construction for the painting job, Kilton Motors which supplied the generating set, KPI Elevators for the elevators and escalators, Trane Philippines for the airconditioning, California Electronics for the closed-circuit tv, public address system and structured cabling, NH International Construction and Development Corp., for the ducting of the airconditioning, Diamond Interior Industry Corporation for the metal cladding, Gertudes Plaza, Abellana Sand and Gravel and Aristea Codinera for the landscaping and Jerecon Enterprises for fire protection.

According to the documents, the government spent P8.3 million for the glassworks, P396,154.80 for electrical works, P7,928,502.50 for the carpeting works, and P208,287.50 for the painting works.

The documents also showed that P119,223,995.84 was spent for civil works covering the substructure and superstructure, P12,590,000 for the generating set and P7,270,140 for the elevators and escalators.

The airconditioning equipment cost P26,548,230 while P15,203,474.62 was spent for the ducting works. The bulk of the budget accounts for the structural steel, which costs more than P300 million.

Based on the documents, an initial allocation of P107,008,083.05 for the structural steel and another P200 million was allocated later for the structural steel, which was paid to the winning contractor, WT Construction.

The documents likewise showed that Manuel Guanzon, the architect who supervised the project, received P16.8 million as consultancy fee.

The documents, however, did not have the total amount spent for the project because it was incomplete. Saavedra''s submission of the documents to the Ombudsman came amid public requests for the provincial government to account for the expenses incurred in constructing the CICC.

Saavedra earlier asked the Omudsman to look into alleged overpricing of the project. He asked that the anti-graft body call for a conference involving himself and Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and five other provincial officials.

Saavedra claimed Guanzon admitted in a radio interview that the total cost of the CICC was P515 million as approved by the Cebu Provincial Board. However, Saavedra said it was discovered that only P100 million worth of the project, covering the superstructure, was allegedly bid out legally as provided for under Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Act.

The project component legally bid out was awarded to WT Construction. Saavedra claimed that through Guanzon''s admission, he was able to find out that the rest of the project components were implemented through negotiations.

Saavedra claimed the provincial government broke up the contract allegedly to avoid proper bidding procedures.

" In view of the above discoveries, there was a clear perpetuation of collusion and overpricing because the legal bidding procedures were not followed and the contract has been overpriced in the amount of more or less P150 million, " Saavedra said.

Saavedra quoted Guanzon as allegedly having admitted that a total of P650 million was already paid to the contractor and that an additional P280 million will be collected by the contractor as additional expenses.

This, he said, constitutes overspending by around P420 million more or less.

Saavedra said that had the project been bid out properly it should not have been overpriced.

Like what Saavedra did in the decorative lampposts controversy, he also requested the Ombudsman to order the provincial government to cease and desist from paying the remaining balance to the contractor.

Governor Garcia yesterday said she will be giving a presentation on May 3 of all the expenses invovled in the CICC, as well as the road asphalting and construction of bridges in the province.

Garcia said she will be inviting all news editors, columnist, mayors in the province and other sectors to be present in the detailed presentation, and after her presentation " that''s the time, you will draw your views. "

" They ask for an accounting as if I have done something wrong. The public deserves nothing less but they should not have made irresponsible and unsubstantiated statements, " Garcia said. ( with Garry Lao/JST )