THREE committees of the Dagupan Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) will recommend the filing of criminal charges against erring contractors of the past Lim administration and ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to assist the City Legal Office in preparing the cases that will be brought before the Office of the Ombudsman or the courts.

This is after the SP Blue Ribbon Committee, headed by Councilor Jose Netu Tamayo held its last hearing on August 28 on a proposed resolution authorizing City Legal Officer Aurora Valle to seek legal action against the contractors who defaulted or abandoned their uncompleted projects, as well as those that are substandard.

The recommending committees are on laws, ordinances and judiciary headed by Tamayo, public works and utilities headed by Councilor Karlos Reyna, and the market committee headed by Councilor Jeslito  Seen.

Tamayo told THE PUNCH that based on the results of two hearings, the three committees are now finalizing a joint committee report for submission in the next SP session, after which, a resolution will be filed in the plenary.

The insurers of erring contractors will be included in the cases for the recovery of surety bonds.

The second and final hearing of the Blue Ribbon Committee was attended by Mark Tello, head of the NBI district office in Dagupan,

as one of the resource speakers. Also present were Valle and City Engineer Josephine Corpuz. The contractors again boycotted the hearing.

In the first hearing in July, Tamayo gave the contractors 30 days to revisit their respective projects and introduce remedial corrections that are necessary, but not one complied.

Observers said that in case the City Legal Office files cases against the erring contractors and their insurers, there is a big possibility that former Mayor Brian Lim and some of his department heads could be implicated, as they did not exercise due diligence in choosing contractors.

One contractor reportedly said that his company, which undertook projects for the city, is already bankrupt and could no longer answer for any liabilities to the city.

Among the projects in question include: undelivered wooden motorboats; used motorboats that were made to appear as brand new; Malimgas Public Market; Zamora Street and other streets, which had been observed to be affected by high degrees of scaling weeks after their completion; substandard CCTV cameras, with at least 75% not functioning; overpriced computer tablets; and a flood gate and pumping station costing of millions that were never used. (Leonardo Micua)

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