City mayor orders fast project implementation

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan on Monday directed concerned offices to expedite all pending projects of the city government to avoid any technicality that may result to the voiding of the budget earmarked for these projects.

The mayor, during the department heads’ meeting, authorized city engineer Leo Bernardez and city buildings and architecture officer Oscar Flores to hire additional engineering aides to complete the program of work requirements for all the pending projects.

He said the city needs to speed up the implementation of both old and new projects in face of the looming “zero budgeting policy” that calls for the reversion of funds allotted for projects that remained unimplemented at the end of the year, as reported during the meeting by Councilor Philian Louise Weygan-Allan.

The mayor said the city has numerous project backlogs since 2009 due to delays in the previous administration’s budget approval.  He said the city has been working to complete the old projects and this has been causing delay in the new ones scheduled for the current year.

He said the hiring of additional personnel will help speed up the completion of requirements so that the funds for the new projects can be obligated as soon as possible.

Flores said they support the mayor’s suggestion to hire additional personnel on a job order basis.

The city has seven major and 100 miscellaneous projects lined up for implementation this year while several projects budgeted from 2009 to 2011 are also awaiting prosecution.

These projects are funded either from the 20 percent Local Development Fund, the capital outlay or from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of Rep. Bernardo Vergara as co-financed by the city.