Lack of engineers blamed for project delays in Cagayan De Oro

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Rolando Uy has ordered the hiring of more personnel for the City Engineering Office (CEO) here after the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged dozens of unfinished projects funded by the local government since 2018.

Uy had ordered the hiring of more engineers, architects, and other personnel, to cope with the increasing work demand of the CEO.

A recent COA report observed that 37 projects, some started in 2018, were still uncompleted as of the end of last year.

Uy then vowed to improve the local government’s systems and capacities to implement projects following the COA observations, even as he noted that quarantine restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and inclement weather have been cited as among the reasons for the delays in the implementation of the projects.

“We would strive to finish all the projects started in the previous administration,” Uy said.

Acting City Engineer Joel Momongan said the audit findings lay bare the need to improve the capabilities of the CEO to plan, monitor, and evaluate projects.

Momongan said that an engineer in his office handles 20 to 40 projects each. “With that volume of work, it is difficult, if not impossible, for them to be efficient,” said Momongan.

The CEO currently has only two project engineers and 12 resident engineers.

When following up on the COA findings, Councilor John Michael Seno, chairperson of the city council’s committee on public works, noted that 18 of the 37 projects flagged by state auditors have already been completed to date.

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