Who paid for Plaza stage? City Hall official unsure

DID Cebu City Hall use its resources to build a stage for tomorrow’s proclamation rally of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA)?

This question cropped up after some construction workers admitted yesterday that they were hired by Cebu City Administrator Jose Marie Poblete to build a stage at the Plaza Independencia for P350 a day.

The 22 meters x 10 meters stage was built at the Waterfront police precinct side of the Plaza.

A construction worker said they started work last Friday and were supposed to finish yesterday.

The worker, who requested anonymity, said Poblete hired them last week and inspected their work early yesterday.

City Engineering Department vehicles delivered  equipment and plywood.                A few minutes later, a BMS (building maintenance section) canter truck with red plate SJK 609 arrived to deliver more materials and workers.

Poblete said he didn’t know if city-owned trucks were used to build the stage and said he presumed that UNA tapped a contractor to set up the stage.

“I don’t know about that but if we used our vehicles and gathered that volume of materials we can’t accommodate it. We can lend support.”

“As far as we know our mayor is running under UNA and so maybe there’s a relationship in a sense but as to what role Rama has I don’t know,” he added.

But when told that a construction worker mentioned that he visited the place earlier in the day, Poblete said he went to his church with his family and they ate lunch in the AA restaurant in Plaza Independencia.

“I only watched what they were doing since it is near where me and my family ate lunch,” Poblete said. UNA’s top three leaders will visit Cebu City tomorrow for the UNA rally.

Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and former president Joseph Estrada will attend the event with the 12 UNA Senate candidates.