SANS ANY CITY COUNCIL RESOLUTION

No notice to proceed, no building permit

HAS Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin Lim authorized the start of the construction of the controversial P84-million tourism park development project at the former Magsaysay Commercial Complex in violation of the terms provided for by the city council?

Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez, also the Sangguniang Panlungsod presiding officer, said the construction of the project inside the former Magsaysay Complex has obviously already commenced as several heavy equipment and manpower have been deployed there either by the project proponent or the city government.

Fernandez  told newsmen that on Wednesday he saw construction activities inside the fenced area in full blast and on Thursday morning, he saw the arrival of several truck loads of steel bars ostensibly to be used for the project. “The delivery even caused heavy traffic along A.B. Fernandez Avenue momentarily,” he pointed out.

Quoting a member, of the Special Bids and Awards Committee (SBAC) whom he refused to identify, he said the committee is not aware of  a “Notice to Proceed” being issued to MetroState Realty Corporation, the supposed winning bidder.

This indicates that the SBAC did not grant any authority neither does it have any knowledge of the activities inside the former Magsaysay Market.

City Engineer Virginia Rosario also confirmed to the vice mayor that her office has not issued any building permit to the contractor, a requisite before construction of any building can be started.

She, however, admitted that MetroState had applied for a building permit but no approval has been granted pending its submission of more documents normally required prior to the issuance of the permit.

Fernandez also pointed out that while the city council has deliberated and voted on the resolution authorizing Mayor Benjamin Lim to enter into contract with MetroState for the construction of the project, the formal resolution has not been issued by the city council.

The resolution was already approved during a special session on December 19 last year by a vote of eight affirmative and three negative with one councilor absent.

However, the proviso that the copy of the committee report as well as the transcript of minutes of the proceedings be attached to the resolution was incorporated in the resolution. 

So far, Councilor Teofilo Guadiz III, who prepared and defended the committee report, has yet to affix his signature to his report, and all the councilors who voted for the resolution served notice that they will not sign the transcript unless they see the signed committee report.

Guadiz was present in last Monday’s regular session but no quorum was mustered as many of the councilors were absent.

“As I’ve said repeatedly, I am ready to sign the resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into contract with Metro State if the requisites that the signed committee report as well as the transcript of minutes of the session be attached to the resolution shall have been met,” Fernandez said.

“This is a project of the city government and if the city government will not comply with what is provided for by law, then what example are we giving to the people of Dagupan City,” he added.

Fernandez said he will call on the different people, who have responsibility over the supposed project to clarify whether or not construction has indeed started in the next session of the city council on March 19,

Fernandez also said he will raise the pending issue on the city council resolution asking the SBAC to determine the relationship between the winning and losing bidders.

Fernandez suspects that the winning group is related to the losing bidder, which is against the BOT bidding rules.

The council also asked the civil registry office to confirm or reject suspicion that the parties to the controversial public bidding were close relatives.—LM.

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