RDC looks for P464M result

By Elias O. Baquero

Monday, August 29, 2011

BETWEEN 2003 and 2011, two projects worth a total of P464 million were reportedly pursued in Central Visayas. But a Regional Development Council (RDC) committee wants to know where these are.

“The problem now is where to locate these projects and how come the RDC-IDC didn’t know about them. Who implemented them? Who are the intended beneficiaries?” asked Emmanuel Rabacal, chairman of the RDC-Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC).

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In a recent meeting, the committee asked its secretariat to trace the two projects. While these are on the list, committee members don’t know where these are.

The projects referred to by the IDC are a P205-million rehabilitation and expansion of water systems and a P259-million construction of a 2.5-megawatt mini-hydroelectric power plant.

In the RDC-IDC list, these projects are only identified as the Rural Power Project funded by the World Bank with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), a government bank, as its conduit facility.

“There are no specific areas where the projects are implemented. Our records on the status of major infrastructure projects in Central Visayas as of June 30, 2011 only indicates that these projects were implemented region-wide and the implementation period is between 2003 and 2011,” Rabacal said.

He said the list should indicate whether these projects are in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental or Siquijor, so the people may know and be able to monitor them.

Under the Investment Coordinating Council’s procedures, no projects shall be approved and implemented in all regions without the recommendation of the RDC, Rabacal said.

The list indicates these projects will be completed this year, he added. So where are they?

The Department of Energy (DOE), which has the mandate to develop power sources in the county like mini-hydro plants, also did know about the supposed project.

Engineer Rey Maleza of DOE 7 said it did not pass through their agency.

“We at DOE have no knowledge about the projects, but because these are financed by World Bank, maybe these are irrigation projects with power components, which are implemented by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA)”, Maleza said.

Maleza added that the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), which serves as the RDC secretariat, may verify with their central office about these projects.

As IDC chairman, Rabacal has instructed the secretariat headed by Aina Hubahib to write to DBP to clarify what these projects are and how the funds were channeled from World Bank to DBP.

Rabacal said those who implemented these projects should submit to the IDC copies of the records for documentation.

The IDC meeting was attended by Assistant Regional Director Juby Cordon of the Department of Public Works and Highways, General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, private sector representatives for Cebu Fr. Mar Alingasa and Engineer Jose Mari Bigornia, private sector representative for Negros Oriental Gregorio Uymatiao Jr., and representatives from the Department of Education and Department of Interior and Local Government, among other government agencies.

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on August 29, 2011.