A brand new bus which the provincial government acquired for the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo tourism program is found canibalized of parts in a private lot in Balili town.
The bus is one of the 27 buses purchased by the Capitol last year for P67.6 million to promote tourism programs in the towns. Each bus, according to Eva Encabo, provincial general services administrator costs about P2.5 million.
Encabo, who also heads the inventory team at the Governor’s Office after suspended Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia left the Capitol, said there was no proper turnover of the bus.
The bus given by the Capitol to Barili town as a prize for winning 7th place in the Expanded-Greening with the Environment Now (E-Gwen) program, a contest among Cebu province’s component cities and towns.
“Adto man unta gyud ni sa Municipality kay prize man ni sa Barili sa ilahang pagdaog sa Egwen as no. 7 best municipality. So ang mayor gyud ana ang custodian…didto man gihatag sa ABC president, instead of sa Mayor,” Encabo told Cebu Daily News.
What we will do now is that we will properly turn it over to the mayor and not the ABC president,” Encabo said.
It was the supporters of Barili Mayor Teresito Marinas who called the Capitol’s attention on the bus that has been parked at the private parking lot owned by Pragmatic Development and Construction Corporation.
Encabo said that instead of Mayor Marinas, the bus was turned over by the Capitol to Association of Barangay Councils president Norman Anore, who is an ally of suspended Gov. Garcia’s One Cebu Party.
On Tuesday, Encabo said her staff will visit Barili to report the missing bus parts to the local police office.
The bus was retrieved Wednesday and was already placed under the care of the Office of the Municipal Mayor.
The bus was supposed to be used during the Suroy-Suroy sa Sugbo program last month but Anore did not agree to its use saying he needs to consult the ABC members.
When GSO staff discovered the bus at the parking lot, it had no front tires and two rear tires missing.
The windshield wipers were also missing.