Construction of Malabon Hall pushed

The opposing camps long at loggerheads over the stalled construction of the P122-million proposed Malabon City Hall have closed ranks in pressing the Sandiganbayan to resolve the case to finally determine whether to continue or terminate the project.

Mayor Amado Vicencio and opposition Councilors Eddie Torres and Luisa "Chiqui" Roque found themselves on the same side this time in pressing for the speedy resolution of the case.

"I think it is high time that the authorities concerned act with dispatch so that the city government can begin construction which has been delayed for nearly a year because of the controversy," Vicencio said.

In separate interviews, Torres and Roque, two of the most vocal critics of the Vicencio administration, believe the Sandiganbayan has had enough time to resolve the issue.

Both camps expressed confidence that the court will rule in their favor. The opposition believes they will get the nod of the court considering that records show the bidding was done "in flagrant violation of existing rules."

Vicencio and his co-accused, meanwhile, are optimistic they would win the case in the end, noting that the administrative charges of grave misconduct and dishonesty filed against them had already been dismissed by the Office of the Ombdusman.

Facing the criminal charge along with Vicencio are Lida Sarmiento, Pio Dadula, city engineer Virdeo Cruz, Lauro Borja and city treasurer Ernesto Pabsutan, all of the Bids and Awards Committee.

In its earlier decision, the Ombdusman said Vicencio’s reelection last May had condoned his wrongful acts, if any. Similarly, such (wrongful acts) would have been rendered moot and academic if he had lost in the last elections.

The opposition block, however, pointed out that the mayor and company may have overcome the administrative liability but are still stuck with the criminal liability.

The minority councilors branded as illegal the awarding of the contract to the Principal Management Group (PMG) and its parnter, Serg Construction, being reportedly an entity not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and not accredited with the Philippine Contractor Accreditation Board (PCAB), for the construction of the four-story building.

Vicenco insisted there was nothing illegal in his actions and hopes the criminal case will eventually be dropped, paving the way for the construction of the long delayed project.