Show 600 Christmas lanterns worth P3 million, Marquez asked

A Parañaque City councilor challenged Mayor Joey Marquez to show the 600 Christmas lanterns which he said the city government purchased for P3 million.

Councilor Generoso Puzon, Parañaque City council minority floor leader, said Monday he and his fellow opposition members in the city council found only 220 Christmas lanterns hung on posts on a stretch of Dr. A. Santos Avenue formerly known as Sucat Road.

"P3 million is still expensive for 600 lanterns which they still have to produce. Our question still remains: How much did each of these lanterns cost and where are they?" Puzon said.

Ofelia Caunan, Parañaque General Service Office chief, clarified that the city had purchased 400 big lanterns and 2,000 small lanterns.

Caunan explained that the big and small lanterns where hung alternately on posts in the center island of a stretch of Santos Avenue. Of the small lanterns, 12 were used per post.

Caunan said the mayor erred in claiming they purchased 600 lanterns as he was not very familiar with the transaction, the purchase being handled by the GSO.

Caunan said the supplier of the lanterns was Rizor Trading, owned by trader Rexie Malilin, which she claimed also supplied lanterns for the local governments of Manila, Pasay and Makati.

Caunan vowed to provide The STAR with documents of the bidding and award of the supply contract for the lanterns that cost the city "more or less P3 million."

She failed to name the exact contract price.

Caunan claimed some lanterns had been destroyed by typhoon "Seniang" which hit the metropolis and the country last November.

In the case of the small lanterns, Puzon said these could not number more than 1,250 if hung alternately with the 220 big lanterns.

"We call on city residents to count for themselves how many lanterns are currently hanging on posts all over the city and compare this with the claim of city officials," Puzon dared.

Marquez could not be reached for his comment as he failed to return calls from The STAR.