BAGUIO CITY – The local legislative body gave the technical personnel of the Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-CAR) a last chance to appear before its regular session on Monday, November 26, 2018 to justify the revision of the original plans of the on-going rehabilitation of the city-owned Baguio Convention Center (BCC).
Local legislators decided to give a chance for the DPWH-CAR technical personnel to justify the earlier revision of the original plans that were prepared by the local government’s technical working group (TWG) for the utilization of the P180 million earmarked by the agency for the proposed rehabilitation of the city’s premier convention facility.
The city council also requested Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan to explain the reason why he affixed his signature to some of the revised plans of the project which is now being used by the DPWH-CAR as justification in pushing through with the implementation of the revised plans of the project which does not conform with the original plans prepared by the local government that was used as a basis in the bidding of the multi-million project.
Under the revised plans and project specifications being used by the agency in the implementation of the project, the provisions for a mezzanine, escalator and elevator had been scrapped and realigned for the construction of the drainage system of the facility among other important aspects of the rehabilitation program.
Earlier, DPWH-CAR technical personnel claimed that the agency was constrained to revise the plans for the project because the local government was not able to provide the original plans for the construction of the structure that should have been used as a basis to ascertain where the foundations of the mezzanine, escalator and elevator will be positioned so as not to affect the structural integrity of the building.
Earlier, it was agreed by technical personnel of the DPWH-CAR and members of the local government’s TWG that the contractor will work on the non-controversial aspects of the project while awaiting both parties to agree on what to do with the revised plans being implemented in the on-going rehabilitation of the convention center.
The contractor was given a period of 360 days to complete the rehabilitation project which is expected to commence by early February next year with the use of the revised plans and specifications.
Previously, the original plans prepared by the local government’s TWG contained the provisions of mezzanine, escalator and elevator to increase the carrying capacity of the convention center and provide accessibility for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
The public works department included the amount of P180 million from its regular infrastructure fund this year purposely to rehabilitate and improve the state of the Baguio Convention Center as its assistance to the local government for its unfunded priority projects that need bigger allocations that can only be provided by concerned government agencies.
The project was bidded out late last year and the contractor was issued the notice to proceed last march wherein the contract time was prescribed to be 360 days.
By Dexter A. See
