By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan
The Iloilo City government will meet with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) to address long-delayed infrastructure projects, with the possibility of taking over their completion.
Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas said Wednesday, Feb. 19, that he had directed City Administrator Melchor Tan to meet with ICDEO Chief Roy Pacanan and the contractor of the Mandurriao Public Market to clarify whether the project had been completed and if additional funds were available.
The mayor’s spokesperson, Joy Fantilaga, told Daily Guardian that no date has been set for the meeting.
“The Mandurriao Public Market is a city government facility renovated using national funds through the DPWH. It stands on city government land, and market vendors and the people of Mandurriao have been affected for too long. This cannot go on indefinitely,” Treñas said.
“If there are no more funds available, we are asking that it be turned over to the city government so that we can determine what should be done,” he added.
Concerns Over Multi-Purpose Buildings
Treñas also criticized the incomplete status of multi-purpose buildings constructed by ICDEO in the city, including those on city government land.
A Feb. 18 report from the Office of the Building Official revealed that two of these structures, located in Barangay Concepcion in City Proper and Barangay Katilingban in Molo, remain unfinished and unusable.
“All multi-purpose buildings in Iloilo City, which were constructed using city funds, have been destroyed by the DPWH and have remained unusable for years. This blatant neglect has deprived our residents—especially our youth—of vital spaces for recreation and community activities, just as summer approaches,” Treñas said.
“The Iloilo City government has the capacity to construct our own multi-purpose buildings using our own funds, and we can complete them within a year at most,” he added.
Due to these concerns, DPWH will now be required to secure prior written consent from the city government before using city-owned land for future projects.
“Moving forward, I will no longer allow any city-owned land to be used by DPWH for any building projects without securing prior written consent from the Iloilo City government. We cannot allow the welfare of our constituents to be disregarded due to inefficiency and inaction,” Treñas said.
DPWH Defends Project Delays
Iloilo City Lone District Representative Julienne Baronda expressed confidence that DPWH would be able to address concerns regarding their projects in the city.
“There’s God in the world, and I believe DPWH can answer the issues,” Baronda said Wednesday during her birthday celebration, responding to allegations from barangay officials.
She assured that all projects would be completed despite delays.
“Delays depend on several factors. If there’s slippage, that’s the contractor’s responsibility. If funds remain unused by year-end, they return to the national government. But one thing is certain—these projects are funded,” she said.
Baronda claimed that recent publicized complaints about unfinished projects were politically motivated attacks against her.
She also alleged that barangay captains were being pressured not to use completed projects until after the elections.
“There are so many completed projects that are already in use. But some barangay captains are being told not to use certain projects until after the election. At the end of the day, we are here as public servants. Despite any attempts to destroy me, the people of the city know who I am,” she said.
