TAGBILARAN CITY—At least 20 engineers will be hired to help local officials draft their programs of work and estimates (Powe) as well as building designs to hasten the construction and repair of government buildings destroyed or damaged during the 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Bohol in 2013.
They would be hired for six months after the mayors in Bohol lamented that they lacked people who would make the Powe, a requirement before funds for repair and construction are released.
The need was raised to former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas during the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting at Bohol Tropics Resorts on Wednesday, the first anniversary of the strong earthquake that hit the province.
Roxas scolded the mayors why they failed to build a single government building in their towns and city when P2.462 billion had been turned over to the province.
“The money is not the problem. The problem is who?” Roxas asked the mayors on Wednesday.
The amount was supposed to fund 1,066 projects in 43 towns and Tagbilaran City.
Only five LGUs submitted 14 Powe that were later approved, according to Ma. Loisella Lucino, Department of the Interior and Local Government provincial director.
These were from Dauis, Duero, Valencia, Buenavista and Tubigon.
Sagbayan Mayor Ricardo Suarez told Roxas that his town lacked engineers who could do the Powe for each of the 65 projects in his town.
Sagbayan is expected to receive P216,710,000 under the Bohol Earthquake Assistance.
Ador Canlas, director of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Central Visayas, confirmed that some LGUs didn’t have the expertise to do the Powe.
Canlas suggested to Roxas that 20 engineers be hired to assist the towns in completing their Powe.
Roxas instructed Canlas to write the request and will ask President Aquino to approve it.
“We will source the money in Manila,” Roxas said.
Not enough engineers
During a news conference in Cebu on Thursday, Roxas said the DILG had already hired 15 engineers to help the local governments but apparently it was not enough.
Roxas said he has reported to President Aquino and was coordinating with DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson about the need for more engineers to help the LGUs check on existing structures, prepare the Powe and implement the projects.
Some government structures may be standing after the quake but, Roxas said, he wanted engineers to check if these were structurally sound and safe to use.
Roxas and Budget Secretary Butch Abad gave assurance that there was money to construct the municipal and city halls, public markets and civic centers, among others.
“The real challenge is not so much about money but execution and delivery on the ground,” said Abad in a news conference.
Some towns, he added, only had one engineer to do all Powes of all 56 projects like what happened in Loon, hardest-hit municipality in Bohol during the earthquake.
Late guidelines
“What complicates is that in the case of Bohol, you will have to look into the design for quake-resistant building and an ordinary engineer would not be very familiar with those types of designs,” he said.
But local officials also said that guidelines on the BEA were not released immediately.
Lucino said that while the P2.26 billion in check was turned over in June, it was downloaded on Aug. 3 after receiving the BEA-DILG guidelines on Aug. 1.
Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio, during the meeting in Bohol, said they received the BEA-DILG guidelines on the implementation of the projects only on Aug. 1, about two months after the P2.462 billion in check was released to Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto.
The money, he added, was downloaded only on Aug. 3.
Roxas said this should not have been the case.
He said the Powe should have been completed even before the funding was downloaded.
The Powes will then be submitted to the Provincial Project Management Team which will review the programs of work.
According to Lucino, the municipalities only submitted their Powe in August after receiving the guidelines.
At least nine engineers review the Powe—three from DPWH, three from the DILG and three from the Bohol Provincial Engineering Office.