4 Bacolod gov’t workers in hot water over wasted construction materials

BACOLOD City – Four regular employees of the city government are facing administrative scrutiny following the discovery of P1.1 million worth of wasted construction materials in two warehouses of the City Engineer’s Office (CEO).

Mayor Greg Gasataya announced on Monday, September 8, that he would issue a show cause order to the employees, including the supply officer, who are assigned to the CEO’s supply and properties section.

The move comes after an inspection on September 6 revealed 4,686 bags of cement stored at the Bacolod City College (BCC) compound in Barangay Taculing and another 100 bags in a warehouse in Barangay Alijis. The cement had solidified and become unusable.

Gasataya said the employees are required to explain within 24 hours upon receipt of the order, after which their responses will be forwarded to the City Legal Office (CLO) for appropriate action.

The mayor noted that he still needs to verify the accuracy of the reported figures.
“Kon tuod guid man nga mga 4,800 kay ka-precise guid nga number ang ila ginhatag,” Gasataya said, stressing that the report came solely from the concerned department.

He also ordered the immediate clearing of the warehouses, instructing that any cement still usable be transferred to another storage facility.

“I instructed nga marenta sang isa ka warehouse para sayluhan sang tanan nga pwede pa magamit nga semento kag para masiguro ang insakto nga numero,” he said.

In addition, the mayor directed the CEO to submit within 24 hours the status of all ongoing and unfinished projects, some of which reportedly date back to 2022 or earlier.

The city will also convene the disposal committee to determine the proper legal process for disposing of the hardened cement.

Meanwhile, the four employees, whose names were withheld, have been relieved from their posts effective September 8. New personnel have since been assigned to the CEO’s Supply and Properties Section./PN