‘Restoration work should be done by September’

The Cebu provincial government plans to finish “restoration work” in the controversial Balili property in Naga City before the end of September.

Backfilling submerged parts of the coastal land will pave the way for the public bidding of a proposed waste-to-energy facility to be put up there, said Adolfo Quiroga, Cebu provincial planning officer.

Work should be completed before the scheduled bidding on the last week of September, said Quiroga.

When the property was bought in 2008, Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said the Balili estate would be developed for an economic zone and a coal ash waste facility for the residue of the Korean Electric Power Company in Naga, which advanced P1 million to the Capitol.

Last July, the governor, five other province officials and two private heirs of the estate were charged with graft before the Sandiganbayan over the purchase of the 24.7-hectare for which the Province of Cebu paid P98.9 million.

Governor Garcia and other respondents indney the purchase was anomalous even though most of the property was submerged in seawater.

Quiroga said the underwater portions of the property would be “restored” since these have valid land titles.

Quiroga said the province had already applied with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority to classify the Balili property as an economic zone.

Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale earlier questioned the restoration work for site development of the property and asked if the Provincial Board needed to check the contract for the work to see if it would need to be ratified.

Under the annual budget, the restoration work in the Balili property is charged against a P50 million budget for “Site Development and Housing Program”.

PB Member Peter John Calderon said yesterday there’s no need to investigate or review the site development of the Balili property.

Calderon told Cebu Daily News that like cash donations made to other provinces struck by calamities, if this was indicated in a budget outlay passed by the board, then it’s good as approved.

“If it’s indicated that it’s part of the annual budget, it is already good as approved,” said Calderon, who heads the PB committee on laws. /Correspondent CArmel Loise Matus