BAGUIO CITY – The City Council wants the concerned offices of the local government to collate and unify all existing contracts entered into by and between the City government and the R&R Management and Sanitary Services related to the maintenance and operation of the public toilets around the city for purposes of uniformity and transparency.
Councilor Faustino Olowan claimed almost all of the contracts entered into by the local government with the said company for the maintenance of the public toilets around the city had not been reportedly confirmed by the local legislative body, thus, the need to consolidate all the existing contracts into one mother contract to be able to allow the members of the local legislative body to scrutinize the details of the agreement.
R&R Management and Sanitary Services started operating the various comfort rooms around the central business district area, the public market and the different parks sometime in 2001.
The operation and maintenance of the public comfort rooms by the private company earned the city various commendations and appreciations from foreign and domestic visitors and even the concerned government agencies that gave plaques of recognition to the company.
Olowan noted that there are contracts between the city and the corporation that already expired while other contracts have yet to expire but the confirmation of the said agreements are still pending before the local legislative body for still unknown reasons.
Earlier, the city’s local finance committee opined that the supplemental agreements between the local government and service provider should have proceeded from a public bidding as the operation and maintenance of the public comfort rooms in parks and other public places was a result of bidding for specific areas and locations, and the city market comfort room is not among the enumerations in the original agreement.
Under the original agreement, the company is given a maximum of 15 years to operate and maintain the various comfort rooms in identified parks and public places after it shall have improved the condition of the said toilets and subsequently charged minimal fees from users.
The company wants to expand its operation and maintenance of the existing public comfort rooms in the city public market to provide adequate public toilets for vendors and market goers.
The council believes the consolidation of all agreements relative to the operation and maintenance of the public comfort rooms will guide the members on how to work out the confirmation of the unified contract to help facilitate transparency and accountability in the collection of the necessary fees from the public and the duration by which the public toilets will remain under the care of the company and when will be the facilities be turned over to the city when the local government.
By Dexter A. See
