ILOILO City – The city government is seeking concrete solutions to several long-overdue and unfinished infrastructure projects undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) – Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO).
Among others, it wants to know if there are funds for the completion of the projects, according to Joy Fantilaga, spokesperson of Mayor Jerry Treñas.
DPWH-ICDEO OIC District Engineer Roy Pacanan, however, was no-show on the scheduled clarificatory meeting called by Treñas on Friday.
The mayor only learned through media reports that ICDEO won’t attend the meeting and would just “prepare a written response”, as no official communication was sent to him.
“Ang pinaka-intention man lang naton diri is to know if may funding bala nga available to complete these projects and if may ara, diin halin ang pundo. Gusto klaruhon sang alkalde nga gusto naton sang konkreto nga solusyon. This is not political posturing like sa ginahambal sang OIC sang Iloilo City District Engineering Office,” Fantilaga told the press.
The concerned projects, namely Mandurriao Market and six multi-purpose buildings located in barangays Concepcion and Tanza Esperanza in the City Proper, barangays Katilingban and North Fundidor in Molo district, and barangays Balantang and San Isidro in Jaro district, are located on lands owned by the Iloilo City Government.
Treñas expressed concern and disappointment that despite the public outcry from barangay officials and residents, the ICDEO has chosen not to engage directly with the city government to resolve these longstanding issues.
“These unfinished projects have caused significant inconvenience to our constituents, affecting their daily lives and the overall development of our city,” the city mayor lamented in a statement released earlier.
He emphasized that since these projects are standing on government-owned land, it is the duty of the city government to ensure that they are completed in a timely and efficient manner for the benefit of our people.
The city will carefully review and assess the written responses of the ICDEO to its queries, if and when they are submitted.
“Our decision on the future of these unfinished projects will be based on the content and adequacy of their replies, the length of time these projects have remained stagnant, and the impact on our barangays. We can no longer allow our residents to suffer from the inconvenience caused by delayed projects, and we stand firm in prioritizing the welfare of our communities,” Treñas emphasized.
Atty. GV Eutiquio Cuñada, the city’s Assistant Legal Officer, explained that the city government has to check on first the source of funding for the mentioned projects.
He added that currently, with the projects unfinished, there is a need for proper offices, especially Office of Building Official or the City Engineer’s Office to assess where the city can step in.
“Next, there must be allocation of the necessary budget to continue the projects. This goes without saying that accountability for the unfinished projects must also be addressed. If the city decides to pursue this matter, there is a venue available for that. Ultimately, it is the people who suffer the consequences,” he opined.
Cuñada also emphasized that if a national government-funded project remains unfinished, it becomes unusable. Over time, it could even pose hazards. The concerned agency must complete the project within a reasonable timeframe. If they fail to do so, it becomes a significant problem.
“The city cannot simply wait for an incident or issue to arise due to these unfinished projects. If there is no funding, that is when we must explore alternative ways to complete it,” he stressed./PN
