Posted on May 2, 2017
By Rona Joyce T. Fernandez, SunStar CEBU
THE Department of General Services (DGS) denied any information on the procurement of an amphibious excavator reportedly purchased during the administration of former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama.
In a report submitted to the City Council dated April 10, DGS warehouse supply supervisor Violeta Ravina said that while the excavator was delivered to the warehouse in the South Road Properties for storage in December 2015, it did not undergo inspection.
“We don’t have any particular documents that we can give or report of this equipment from its delivery to this present date since the equipment was just delivered to us and all we can do is store it since it’s already in the area,” reads a portion of the report.
This, though, is not the first time DGS reported having no records or procurement doc-uments of the equipment. The first report was submitted to the council last September after it passed a resolution authored by Councilor Margarita Osmeña asking for the whereabouts of the excavator.
The move came after suspended Councilor Jerry Guardo, in an earlier resolution, asked assistance from the National Government so that the City can purchase the equipment to dredge the waterways after a heavy downpour in July 2016 swamped the entire city with knee-deep flood.
An amphibious excavator is a type of machine that can perform dredging while afloat in shallow water. It was in 2015 when the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CCDRRMC) during Rama’s administration requested from the council the purchase of the equipment at a time when the city’s rivers swelled at quite an alarming state during heavy rains.
An amphibious excavator cost around P20 million at that time. Councilor Dave Tumulak, who served as CCDRRMC chair in the previous administration, confirmed having the disaster council made the request. He, however, clarified that the City Government has yet to pay for the equipment. DGS acting head Ronaldo Malacora, who is the current BAC chair, also denied having details on the procurement of the equipment.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Rama but he was not available as of press time.
Source: SunStar CEBU
