Rama insists on rebidding CCMC project

CEBU, Philippines - Despite the Cebu City Council’s position to suspend the bidding process for the construction of the city hospital, Mayor Michael Rama insisted to push through with it.

Rama said the rebidding has to continue because there is no truth to the allegations that the city has no funds to back the hospital construction.

City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas certified that the city has P1.4 billion cash in bank contrary to what Councilor Eugenio Gabuya Jr. said Wednesday during his privilege speech.

Gabuya earlier said the P300 million that the City Council has appropriated for the construction of CCMC was utilized by the executive department to fund the city’s payables like the financial assistance for senior citizens, among others, while the other P300 million to be sourced from this year’s appropriation is yet to be collected.

 On top of the city’s budget allocations, there’s also P1 billion worth of pledges from foreign communities and the P200 million that SM Prime Holdings Inc. promised.

 City Attorney Gerone Castillo said it is the prerogative of the mayor to implement the project and the res-ponsibility of the city treasurer is to raise funds appropriated by the council.

 “We appreciated the council but with all due respect to them the work is limited to the appropriation equivalent to P600 million for the project. As to who should provide the funds and as to who should collect the funds, I think we should give it to the treasu-rer. It is the responsibility of the treasurer under the Local Government Code to raise those funds appropriated by the council,” he said.

“With that case, there is no reason to stop a project on the basis of fears that we could not have funds. We will not build outright, it will progressively build. We really need a hospital. It’s the mayor’s prerogative to bring and implement the project because it’s within his mandate,” he added.

 Since the rebidding has to start soon, Rama said a special Bids and Awards Committee for CCMC has to be created to oversee the entire bidding preparations.

 The composition of the special committee will be determined by city attorney and new chairman of the BAC for the procurement of infrastructure and consulting services Gerone Castillo.

 This means the composition of CCMC ad hoc committee will also be reviewed by the City Legal Office.

“He will tell me who should be retained or who should not be retained. It’s not going to be me. If I have my way I want all of them to be there. But I need to be guided so that there will no more views that will be exchange by different personalities,” he said.

“CCMC Ad hoc committee functions will be reviewed. If the functions are still within the conformity with my directive as a mayor then there is nothing to change but if there are some functions there that may cause some misapprehensions or misinterpretation then I will respond to have that rectify,” he added.

 Castillo said he will recommend those who are qualified to be members of the special BAC for CCMC and the mayor will appoint. The mayor is expected to announce today the composition of the special BAC for CCMC.

“The policy direction of the mayor is that there must be a group who would really look into this (rebidding process) that’s why there’s a special BAC for CCMC because of the urgency of the project. I will be guiding the mayor, who are qualified and who will not be setting there based on the legal provisions,” he said.

 Castillo clarified that the creation of special BAC will not surpass the mandate of the regular BAC-Infrastructure as it only focuses on specific project compared to the latter that deals with the regular capital expenditures of the city government.

The creation of special BAC is allowed under the existing legislations and laws especially when it is urgent in character, he said.

Section 11 Article 5 of the Republic Act No. 9184 (Government Procurement Reform Act) provides that, “Alternatively, as may be deemed fit by the head of the procuring entity, there may be separate BACs where the number and complexity of the items to be procured shall so warrant. Similar BACs for decentralized and lower level offices may be formed when deemed necessary by the head of the procuring entity.”

 As to the regular BAC for infrastructure, Rama made a reform following his declaration of “failure of bidding” last year for the new CCMC’s first phase of construction.

In a memorandum order addressed to the BAC, he ordered to conduct the bidding again this year to avoid “suspicion of favoritism and anomalies.” (FREEMAN)