Agencies urged to monitor school infra projects in city

CEBU, Philippines – Cebu City’s Local School Board and the Department of Education-Cebu City Division are being urged to oversee the implementation of the school building projects in the city with the next school year fast approaching.

The request was made by the city council’s committee on education, science and technology, saying vigilant monitoring is needed to ensure that the projects are bid out and the construction of school buildings are started before the election ban.

The Department of Public Works and Highways-7 is currently undertaking 68 school building projects in Cebu City.

The council was alerted after learning that only one out of the 68 projects has been completed yet, while most of the projects were not yet started.

“Of the 68 projects, only one is already 100 percent (1.47 percent), one is about to start (1.47 percent), three are cancelled because of lack of buildable space (4.41 percent), five are scheduled for bidding (7.35 percent), twelve have started at various degrees of completion (17.7 percent), and 46 projects has yet to start since the contractors have yet to receive their notices to proceed (67.6 percent),” read the two-page committee report.

The committee requested the DPWH-7 to fast track the issuance of notices to proceed to the various contractors; to ensure that these will be completed on time; to make sure that the sites for the projects are inspected and properly evaluated; and to ensure the proper turn-over of completed structures.

The committee based its report on the recent list of recipient schools submitted by Rhea Mar Angtud, the schools division superintendent of DepEd-Cebu City Division

The same data showed that the projects were funded by the national government through the Basic Educational Facilities Fund (BEFF); Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR); and the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2014.

Committee chairman Councilor Alvin Dizon said DPWH’s School Building Project targets to build a total of 485 classrooms for senior high school, junior high school, elementary and technical and vocational facilities.

The committee recognized the urgency to ensure that before the start of classes on June 2016, the classrooms are already constructed and properly turned over to the schools, said Dizon.

“The students and teachers, who are the end users, would benefit much since new classrooms would ensure that the classes will be less crowded and that they will have protection from the elements when holding classes,” read the committee report.

To resolve the delay in the completion of the projects, the city council created its own special body that will conduct the monitoring so that problems at the local level are resolved directly.

The ad hoc committee, apart from personnel from the LSB, will comprise councilors Dizon, Roberto Cabarrubias and Nendell Hanz Abella, who will head the group. The special body will submit a bi-monthly report to the council. —/NSA (FREEMAN)