Is it true that there are unpaid contractors/suppliers?

Apart from the fact that there is a constitutionally-guaranteed right for the people to have access to information on matters of public concern such that we have the right to obtain official records, documents, and papers pertaining to official governmental acts, transactions or decisions, many times ordinary citizens do not know what information need be accessed. In consequence, there are things which should have been known publicly but are otherwise kept secret or known only to a limited few. That is why it is quite fortunate that there is an abundance of civic-minded citizens who share with us, people in the press, bits of information that are not quite known to many. It has thus become the duty of media to share with the public what little we have known from concerned informants.

In this context, let me share some less-publicized matters which have been whispered to me by sources who are afraid to go public or unwilling to take imagined risks. These are matters, projects more accurately, of the Cebu Provincial government. I use the words “less publicized” because the parties involved would not want to come out in the open and their documents are stashed in rather secretive files. I realize that they are more cowered by unpredictable consequences that might likely be tweaked by the powers that be. To my understanding, fear of economic sanction (maybe reprisals is the correct word), rule over rational being. Fortunately, I hear their whispers but unfortunately, I am not in possession of written documents.

It has been reported that for 10 consecutive years, the Province of Cebu has remained the richest province in the Philippines. This period covered largely the administration of outgoing Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. Cebu Province has reportedly posted over ?300 billion in net equity. We must understand that the financial language “net equity” refers to the value when liabilities are subtracted from assets. A report last year mentioned Cebu’s assets in 2023 was valued at around ?309 billion while its liabilities amounted only to ?6.5 billion and therefore its net equity was approximately ?303.4 billion. This is incredible especially if we take note of a part of the financial report that Rizal Province, the second wealthiest province is with only ?37 billion wealth.

The whispers that I heard worried me. Despite the boastful claim that Cebu Province is number one in terms of net equity throughout the country, there are contractors and suppliers who have remained unpaid even if they already completed their projects and/or delivered the goods. Accordingly, the administration of Governor Garcia refused to pay. I cannot name them here because I do not have their documents although sans such papers, I am more inclined to believe these negatively-impacting stories.

There are two possibilities. One, the project performance or the goods delivered did not meet satisfactory standards for which reason the contractors and suppliers were not paid and, two, the failure to pay was a devious way to leverage them to slice a portion of their receivables for corrupt officials.

Governor-elect Baricuatro, who just announced that her “priority is the people’s interest, xxx” should find out fast what caused the non-payment. Certain “claims should be treated with caution xxx”. There is a need for her to create an ad hoc team of knowledgeable officials like the provincial treasurer, auditor and engineer and honest competent private citizens like a representative of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and an active or retired academician to look into these deals with direct marching orders to submit their findings within a short though reasonable period. I however trust that Gov-elect Pam can do better than this suggestion.