Governor Davide okays construction of P1.5B building

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III has approved the recommendation of the Capitol's Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for the construction of the 20-storey resource center by the WT Construction.

BAC Vice Chairperson Jon Zeigfred Sepe confirmed that Davide has already approved their recommendation one week after the contractor passed the post qualification.

The recommendation was already forwarded to the Provincial Board for ratification.

"Amo na gi-endorse ngadto sa provincial board atong Monday. Sila nay mokuan ato kay ang normal process ana, igka-receive sa provincial secretary, siya na ang modecide kon asa na iduso," Sepe said.

Along with the recommendation is also the request of the BAC to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) to give the governor the authority to enter into a contract with the WT Construction, and for them to release a notice to award to the bidder.

SP Secretary Pulchra Marie Acevedo said the submitted documents by the BAC is still at the committee level and are not included in the agenda this coming Monday's regular session of the PB.

"Ang BAC documents regarding the construction sa resource center endorsed already to the chairman pero wala pa gipakarga," Acevedo said.

Acevedo is referring to the chairman of the committee on Provincial/Municipal Properties Budget and Appropriation and the committee on Public Works, Highways and Infrastructure headed by Board Member Celestino Martinez III and Jerome Librando, respectively.

What will be discussed in next week's session is the first reading of the proposed ordinance on the Cebu provincial government’s plan to borrow to finance the resource center that will rise at the Capitol compound.

The Capitol borrowed P1.5 billion from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) for the construction of the said edifice.

The WT Construction, which submitted a bid of P1.2 billion for the building, was the lone bidder that went through the process of the bidding and passed the post qualification stage of the BAC.

Sepe said the project has long been planned and conceptualized by the provincial government in 2014.

This, after former governor and now Congresswoman Gwendolyn Garcia questioned why the Capitol is in a "hurry" in the construction of the building.