Baguio mayor to b’gays: Monitor gov’t projects

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin Magalong will involve barangays in the monitoring of government-funded projects being implemented in their jurisdictions.

In the monthly punong barangays’ meeting Jan. 17, the mayor appealed to barangays to submit a list of five names of their representatives who will be part of the project monitoring team to help the mayor and City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña in the inspections.

The barangay heads were given until last Jan. 22 to submit the names.

The mayor had been emphasizing that the city government needs the help of the community in monitoring and reporting the status of on-going projects to ensure the quality these infrastructures.

The mayor and the city administrator began inspecting projects in November last year as part of the new procedure to ensure their quality before these are paid.

The new procedure seeks to ensure that no contractors will violate their programs of work and deliver substandard projects.

              “It is about time that we compel contractors to undertake quality projects.  We can decide not to pay contractors with substandard or defective works.  We want quality projects that are commensurate to their costs,” the mayor said.

               Dela Peña who heads the Bids and Awards Committee for infrastructure of the city said he and the mayor initially thought of limiting the personal inspection only to projects costing P500 and above but they later decided to include even those with less costs.

As per the new procedure, the inspection is done before the city makes the second and final payment for the project and those that passed will be issued a clearance to collect the final payment.

Dela Peña said that so far contractors of projects found to have deficiencies had been delivering on their commitment to revise or correct their infractions.