Cebu lampposts are useless, says joint inventory report

THE inventory confirmed what is plain to see in the streets of Cebu City.

Except for their metal posts, the 677 lampposts installed for the 2007 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit are practically useless, a Dec. 21, 2011 inventory report showed.

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said this gives him more reason to seek the removal of these “eyesores” that obstruct the sidewalks.

“I don’t want tourists thinking that the mayor isn’t doing anything good because of his failure to get rid of these lampposts,” he said.

The lampposts, a national government project, are the subject of an ongoing graft case against several public works officials acccused of overpricing before the Sandiganbayan.

Rama said he wanted to remove the lampposts along S. Osmeña Road, Juan Luna Avenue, Salinas Drive and Veteran’s Drive so the city government could start beautifying the roads.

The inventory report by the Commission on Audit, the Ombudsman-Visayas and and the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) took place on Oct.17-19, 2011.

It said eight of the 677 lampposts could no longer be found. Another 137 no longer have head covers and holders.

“All other parts seem unoperational since the electrical wiring and its accessories were gone/lost and mostly defective while some parts are missing,” said the report.

The idle lampposts are still needed as evidence for pending cases in the Sandiganbayan.

However, there are other ways of preserving the evidence such as photographs to document their physical appearance and location, said the mayor.They could then be removed and stored in a warehouse.

“I don’t like people especially guests to remember the lampposts no longer operating as lampposts,” Rama told Cebu Daily News.

Citom will write the Ombudsman to relay the mayor’s request to remove the lampposts. The letter will be sent to the Sandiganbayan which is now hearing the lampposts cases. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac