City Council flags delays, irregularities in MRB project

The Cebu City Council has raised concerns over the delayed construction of a Medium Rise Building (MRB) in Barangay Lorega, San Miguel, after discovering that the contractor had incurred negative slippage and had not been paid for its progress billing.

- - Iris Hazel Mascardo / FPL

During an executive session, councilors scrutinized inconsistencies in the project's plans, process bottlenecks, and other issues that have hindered completion.

The session was called by Councilor Edgardo "Jaypee" Labella, chairman of the Committee on Infrastructure, following a resolution to approve the charging of at least P109 million for the continuation of the five-story MRB project.

Engineer Roel Tajon of the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) presented the project’s history, noting that it was originally set for completion within 300 calendar days in 2020, with a total cost of more than P227 million.

The original deadline of August 29, 2021, was extended to September 30, 2022. However, with only 48 percent of the work completed by that time, the project incurred a negative slippage of 52 percent.