Projects claimed by Pineda were actually Panilio’s

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—The administration of Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda reported completing infrastructure projects worth P110 million in her first 11 months in office but documents obtained by the Inquirer showed that most of these projects were either funded, bid out, awarded or initiated on the final days of her predecessor’s term in office.

In a statement, Renato Gutierrez, officer in charge of the provincial engineer’s office, credited Pineda for the construction, improvement and rehabilitation of district hospitals, schools, roads and other facilities worth P109.746 million in 12 towns and this capital.

Most of these projects credited to Pineda were identified and processed during the administration of former Gov. Ed Panlilio, according to his exit reports.

Gutierrez also glossed over the anticorruption reforms instituted by the previous administration. He made no references to Panlilio’s role in stopping the 20- to 40-percent commissions which unnamed government workers used to demand from private contractors who bagged capitol’s projects. This detail was also in Panlilio’s exit report.

Provincial Administrator Andres Pangilinan Jr. said there were no deliberate effort to grab credit or set aside the reforms began by Panlilio.

“Those projects really deserved to be continued,” he said in a telephone interview. “She chose to continue and finish those to be able to provide services to the people.”

The Pineda administration has initiated two new projects: the rehabilitation of  Macabebe District Hospital, which costs P13.7 million, and Dr. Andres Luciano Memorial Hospital (formerly Balitucan District Hospital) in Magalang, which costs P30.4 million.

These hospitals are two-story high and are each equipped with 25 beds.

In previous news reports, the Panlilio administration reported spending less than P10 million when it built San Luis District Hospital, which has two floors and 25 beds.

But Pangilinan denied that the Macabebe and Dr. Andres Luciano Hospital projects were overpriced compared to the San Luis hospital project. “The floor areas [of the Macabebe and Dr. Andres Luciano Hospitals) are wider so the costs went up,” he said.

Without disclosing the amount, the provincial government also shouldered the construction of a two-story building of the Bureau of Fire Protection and the extension of the National Bureau of Investigation. Both are within the capitol compound. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon