• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Land Bank of the Philippines has suspended the release of funds for the construction of the P500 million New Government Center of Silay City in Negros Occidental, pending investigations into alleged irregularities in the P1.1 billion loan, according to Abang Lingkod Representative Joseph Stephen Paduano.
Paduano, chairman of the House committee on Public Accounts, said the suspension of the release of funds will be until the completion of the ongoing congressional inquiry, or if the Land Bank gets the clearance to release all the remaining funds for the project.
The House committee is investigating the three mega projects of the administration of Mayor Joedith Gallego, which has P1.1 billion in funding secured from the Land Bank of the Philippines.
These include the repair and rehabilitation of the Silay City public market and construction of the Silay City College, with a budget of P300 million each, aside from the construction of the New Government Center worth P500 million.
Paduano, who is the designated caretaker of the 3rd congressional district of Negros Occidental, disclosed that a total of P292.41 million was already released by the Land Bank to the three mega projects, including P74.9 million for the New Government Center.
The solon also met with representatives of the Land Bank, who were summoned by the committee to shed light on the P1.1 billion loan of Silay City government, during an inquiry held at the House of Representatives on December 18.
While the projects are of paramount importance to the city and its people, Paduano, however, said that they must address the concerns surrounding their progress, or lack thereof, and ensure that the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance, are upheld throughout the implementation.
As P74.9 million has already been disbursed for the construction of the New Government Center, which recently started, the solon said “We need to determine whether the procurement process adhered to legal standards, and if the contractor, Silver Dragon, was selected through a fair and transparent building process.”
It is also vital to assess whether the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) truly maintained its independence and transparency throughout its processes, Paduano said.
Let me assure the residents of Silay that we are not stopping the progress of the City. Instead, our goal is to hold accountable the officials who are engaged in corruption and misuse public funds, he stressed.
If the allegations are proven, they should replace the misappropriated funds and reimburse the government using their own personal money, Paduano further said.*
