CH committee extends probe

CEBU, Philippines - Committee won’t recommend payment to contractor pending investigation.

The fact-finding committee tasked to investigate the alleged irregularities in the implementation of projects in the barangays has extended the probe indefinitely after obtaining documents that need further study.

Cebu City legal officer Joseph Bernaldez, member of the fact-finding committee, said they have requested for another extension because they need to study the documents that the committee obtained recently.

 “It is the consensus of the members of the committee to do further investigation kay naa mi’y nakit-an that needs to be looked into deeply,” Bernaldez said.

Among other things, the committee is carefully looking into why is 80 percent or over P150 million worth of barangay projects funded through barangay aid have been awarded to E.M. Arante Construction.

Bernaldez did not anymore give further details. But, he said they will resume their investigation immediately and work on it until they are able to get the full details of what had happened.

 Bernaldez said that Mayor Michael Rama agreed to give them more time as they have vowed to get into the very bottom of the case.

 “If we set a time frame man pud gud, ang tendency is dali-dalion mi, ang mahitabo haphazard among trabaho. The documents we gathered really needs further study,” he said.

 The fact-finding committee has initially drafted a report after their 15-day extension expired. But they have requested the mayor to give them more time to produce a more thorough output.

 The fact-finding committee seeks to find out whether or not the alleged irregularities in the implementation of barangay projects are true.

 The investigation stemmed from a complaint from a barangay where a substandard project was implemented. The contractor E.M. Arante Construction happened to be the same contractor in 72 other projects in the 16 barangays of the South District. (FREEMAN)