THE city council on Monday passed a resolution inquiring from the owners of the burned Bugnay Market if the missing tons of steel bars and trusses are in their possession.

Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez said the resolution was addressed to Don Manolo Lim Uy, president and chairman of the Board of the Bugnay Construction and Development Corporation based in Nueva Ecija.

Fernandez said the council made the move soon after the lawyer of contractor Robert Sison wrote the city council, through the City Legal Office, that his client has invoked his right not to issue any statement on the issue being raised by the council.

City Engineer Virginia Rosario pointed to Sison as the one who cleared the Bugnay Market of the burned steel bars and trusses, a statement confirmed by the latter’s workers who were hired to do manual clearing.

“It was a very simple resolution inquiring if Don Manolo, indeed, had contracted the demolition and clearing and if he has in his possession all the materials that were recovered from the establishment months after the blaze or of what used to be known as the Bugnay Market,” he said.

He added that based on his own understanding, the turn over of the property (site of the former Bugnay Market) was on “as is, where is” basis after the fire, meaning the remnants of the fire will go to the city.

After the fire, there were burned structures from where tons upon tons of steel bars and trusses were recovered but unfortunately, not a single kilo of the materials went to the city.

The vice mayor noted that the contract of Bugnay to the city is technically still valid and   due to expire this year but its operation was terminated earlier because of the fire that gutted the whole structure sometime in 2004.

Fernandez said the issue about the missing bars and trusses can easily be resolved if Uy   confirms that the reported missing steel bars and trusses are in his possession.

He, pointed out, however, that even if Uy shall have clarified the who has possession of the steel bars and trusses, this will not deter the city council from filing a case after   one who demolished the structure and the official who authorized it”.

Meanwhile, Fernandez said he has not yet signed the resolution giving the city mayor the authority to enter into contract with MetroState Realty Corporation, the alleged winner of a public bidding for the construction of a P54-million tourism park building at the former Magsaysay Park.

He dared on Monday the councilors who voted in favor of the ordinance to affix their signatures to the transcript of the minutes of the December 19 special session even in the absence of the signature of Councilor Teofilo Guadiz III on the committee report endorsing the draft resolution on the matter.

Guadiz was again absent in Monday’s regular session.

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