Bacolod City Mayor Greg Gasataya is considering filing charges after he uncovered thousands of bags of hardened, unusable cement estimated to be worth P1.1 million during a surprise inspection on Saturday, September 6.
The discovery was made at the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) warehouse, located within the Bacolod City College compound, where a spot check revealed 4,686 bags of solidified cement. Another 100 bags were found in a separate facility in Alijis.
“There’s something that needs to be done. This might be painful and there will be resistance, but we will do something out-of-the-box. If this means filing cases, we will do so,” Gasataya said.
The mayor has ordered an investigation, and action will be taken against those found responsible for the wastage, City Legal Officer Karol Joseph Chiu told DIGICAST NEGROS on Sunday.
Gasataya, who was accompanied by key department heads during the inspection, said the wasted materials “could have gone a long way, for building additional classrooms, barangay infrastructure projects and more.”
The Bacolod City Communications Office reported that the discovery was a result of the mayor’s directive for a newly formed Inventory Team to conduct a comprehensive audit of all government assets, including stocks and supplies under the CEO.
“These were intended for city projects being implemented by the City Engineer’s Office. I’m expecting the report within three days to determine who will be accountable for this,” the mayor said, suggesting that charges may be filed against those responsible.
CEO Officer-in-Charge Loben Ceballos said some of the cement bags had been stored for several years, dating back to when supplies were moved from the old storage area during the construction of the Bacolod City College complex.
“The hardened cement came from the old warehouse; that’s why we made it into a bedding for the new cements to avoid damaging the stocks, but due to the number of stocks, this happened,” Ceballos said.
In an effort to prevent future wastage, the city government has initiated the construction of a P67-million warehouse in the Bredco area, with completion expected within the year, the BCCO report said. Ceballos emphasized that clear standards must be established to ensure efficient supply and asset management in the future.
On Saturday, the mayor also inspected the CEO and General Services Office warehouses located within the City Agriculture Office compound in Barangay Alijis. He added that the Midway Facility, originally built as a Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, needs repairs and cleanup.
It now serves as temporary storage facility for several city departments.*