Contractor gets 48-hr ultimatum

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has given WT Construction, Inc. 48 hours to fill the excavated area where the controversial Cebu Resource Center was supposed to be erected.

Failure to meet the deadline would mean the construction firm may be blacklisted from the provincial government.

"The Provincial Government is giving WTC forty-eight hours from the receipt hereof within which to start filling up the project site. Otherwise, it would be constrained to take appropriate measures to protect its interests, including, but not limited to, the blacklisting of your company pursuant to applicable laws, rules and regulations," reads the letter to WTC.

One of Garcia’s first orders when she returned to the Capitol as governor was to stop the construction of the P13 billion project for allegedly being anomalous.

"It is hereby ordered and enjoined, WT Construction Inc., and any and all persons acting on its behalf, to stop and permanently discontinue any and all activities relative to the construction of the Cebu Resource Center Project," reads Garcia’s executive order dated June 30, 2019.

She also directed the Provincial Legal Office to review the supplemental budget, which included P1.5 billion for the building’s construction.

Garcia also denied WTC’s request that it pull its equipment out of the construction site, including a survey instrument, backhoes, and a crane.

She said the project, meant to be the flagship project of her predecessor, former governor Hilario III, allegedly violates the National Cultural Act of 2009 because it deforms the look of the Capitol Building, which is a National Historical Landmark, as the resource center is being built right beside it.

Even while she was congresswoman, Garcia already opposed the project, filing an injunction case in court to stop its construction.

She also filed a separate case before the Ombudsman against Davide; Vice Governor Agnes Magpale; Provincial Administrator Mark Tolentino; WT Construction Vice President Willy U. Te; and Marissa Anino, head of DBP’s Cebu Lending Center. (FREEMAN)