CEBU CITY — Tired of unfinished and delayed infrastructure projects, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival wants more accountability from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contractors by requiring them to pledge project completion or pay damages.
Archival ordered all DPWH contractors in Cebu City to sign undertakings of commitment before securing permits, making them directly liable for unfinished works, damages due to substandard materials and unwarranted delays.
The mayor said the city will not issue permits to contractors who refuse to comply with this directive. He, however, has tasked the City Legal Office to study the undertaking, which would require contractors to pledge payment of liquidated damages if they fail to meet deadlines.
Since the law does not authorize the city to impose penalties, contractors themselves would have to set and commit to the amounts as part of their written pledge.
Archival also directed contractors to follow stricter on-site rules.
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They must post visible signboards with project details, deploy DPWH-deputized traffic aides, operate 24/7 when possible, install proper warning devices and assign workers to clear construction residue.
He cited the unfinished flood control project near the Banilad overpass as an example of poor accountability.
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The contractor abandoned the site after claiming that a machine had broken down, leaving the road incomplete despite his instructions to asphalt the area.
Archival also condemned the scraping of roads still in good condition, calling the practice wasteful and unjustifiable.
“Imagine-non nimo kaayo ani nga karsada inyong gi-scrape para lang gyud inyong gastohan, di man ni inyong kwarta, kwarta man ni sa mga tawo (Just imagine scraping this road just so you could spend money. This is not your money; this is the people’s money),” he said.
Records show that at least 21 flood control projects are lined up for Cebu City in 2025.
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Some are ongoing, others were ordered fast-tracked, while several remain on hold until contractors comply with stricter deadlines and traffic management rules.
