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The company reported that its profit margins have been squeezed as it faces tough competition.

The political crisis dents Singapore's reputation for clean and honest governance, experts say.

(New York) - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines face bias-motivated violence and discrimination in their daily life, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The authorities should repeal the country's colonial-era laws that criminalize consensual same-sex conduct and pass comprehens

The US$0.60 seven-inch cheese pizza is the tip of the spear in Domino’s fight against rampant inflation that’s squeezing profits and pricing out customers.

July 20, 2023 9:45 AM

Police alleged the woman withheld meals from her daughter, causing the girl to suffer from ketonic hypoglycemia.

The power needs of India’s data centres more than doubled in three years and the momentum doesn’t look set to slow any time soon – amid ‘resistance’ to supplying them with renewable energy from state-run distributors.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday announced its partnership with Social Security System (SSS) for the latter's adoption of the national ID in social security services to expand operations in the digital economy.

July 20, 2023 8:45 AM

The decision quashed hope that the state will allow and facilitate interfaith marriages.

July 20, 2023 8:30 AM

Police uncovered the man’s involvement after they nabbed and interrogated three suspects.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised on June 8 the status of Mayon Volcano in Albay to Alert Level 3 after it showed an “increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.”

Having been used for nuclear tests and dumping by the US and French, the Pacific islands deeply oppose Japan’s plan and see it as a ‘nuclear legacy’ issue.

Police confirm two deaths in an incident in the New Zealand city hosting the Women's World Cup.

(Johannesburg) - The Zambian government should make comprehensive efforts to clean up the contaminated former lead mine in Kabwe, the capital of Zambia's Central province, Environment Africa and Human Rights Watch said today. The organizations released a video in which yo

Six other victims were injured in the incident, which took place at a construction site on a busy street in the country’s largest city just before the Fifa Women’s World Cup opening match.

July 20, 2023 6:50 AM

The bizarre odyssey has created a fresh problem for Washington in its dealings with Pyongyang.

July 20, 2023 6:25 AM

The incident came just hours ahead of the opening match of the ninth Women’s soccer World Cup.

A Japanese LGBT rights group says they have seen a rising tide of hateful online rhetoric, particularly targeting transgender women, fuelled in part by contentious debate around anti-discrimination legislation that passed this year.

THE Commission of Audit (COA) has flagged several infrastructure projects of the Cebu City Government, including a drainage project where “excessive” advance payment of P199.323 million was made in 2021 but whose construction remained to have zero progress as of the end of 2022, and others that were terminated four to five years ago without the City recouping the mobilization fees that have run up to P28.8 million.

COA said these flaws have compromised the interests of the City Government and the general public.

COA questioned the contract that the City Government awarded through a bidding process to a Manila City-based contractor for the design and construction of the drainage mains located in several streets across the city on April 19, 2021, as part of the City’s flood control program.

As per the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) report, the project was slated to start on April 27, 2021 and finished on November 17, 2022. But COA said the contractor failed to transition from the design phase to the construction phase even at the end of 2022.

The P1.3 billion project involved the construction of flood-mitigating interventions along Cabreros St. - N. Bacalso Ave. - V.H. Garces St.; A. Gabuya St; and Leon Kilat St.- Escano St., Cebu City.

The contractor delivered only seven of 27 documents and design plans to the City Engineering, which COA said may be from the contractor’s apparent lack of technical personnel as some deliverables had no signatures from various professionals and were made only by a single engineer.

The City Government made an advance payment of P199.323 million for the design phase on June 15, 2021 on the contractor’s request, as it was already equivalent to 15 percent of the total contract cost.

COA also questioned the “unreasonable and unjustifiable suspension” of the project that was done three times with ease, giving the impression that the contractor was given unwarranted favors.

From the start of official work, the first suspension was given on May 4, 2021; the second on August 3, 2021; and the third on September 3, 2021.

COA called “flimsy” the reasons that the contractor gave for the delays, which were travel restrictions, rigorous testing for cross-border travel, and unstable quarantine status in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The contractor also said it was having difficulty securing various data on existing drainage and utility infrastructure crucial for the work of the designers.

The state auditor said due to the importance of the project, the City Government should have exerted efforts to expedite its completion.

Not authorized

Furthermore, COA questioned why then city administrator Floro Casas Jr., acting behind the authority of the late mayor Edgardo Labella, entered into a contract for this project in 2021 without the authorization of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP).

The project was funded though the 2015 General Fund Lump Sum appropriation, specifically under the Repair/Construction of Drainage System label, but the state auditor stressed that the city administrator has no authority to bind the City Government into a contract using the Lump Sum without the authority of the SP.

Hence, COA made the recommendation to terminate or revoke the contract due to project delays of 247 days as of December 31, 2022.

The City Government must also recover the advance payment of P199.323 million and submit a detailed explanation on the excessive advance payment and leniency in the giving of time suspension.

Reply and rejoinder

In its reply, DEPW explained that due to rigorous travel restrictions during that period, people feared to travel across different regions in the country in case they got stranded, which he believed to be meritorious and justifiable due to the pandemic.

However, COA replied that despite the pandemic, the contractor should have made significant progress on the project, particularly since it took risks and accepted the contract at the height of the health emergency.

COA added that the contractor was given an advance payment at its request, showing that it saw the project to be feasible at that time.

Uncollected advance payment

As for the separate P28.8 million in uncollected advance payments for other projects, COA asked the DEPW, and the latter agreed, to retrieve these uncollected amounts from 13 infrastructure projects of the City Government from 2014 to 2016 that were already canceled or terminated and abandoned.

According to the subsidiary ledgers of Advances to Contractors account, an amount of P28.8 million of P46.3 million of the 15 percent Mobilization Fee remains uncollected.

These projects were terminated due to various issues such as lot ownership, presence of occupants, permits and clearances.

The state auditor first flagged the transactions in a 2017 audit report, which grew to 14 projects with uncollected advance payment in 2018; however, in 2019 the mobilization fee for only one project was fully settled.

COA said the City Government has made slow progress in retrieving the advance payment.

To prevent this from happening again, COA suggested, and DEPW agreed, to form a new Contract Review and Termination Committee (CTRM).

This CRTM will demand or initiate legal action against contractors with unsettled advance payments, forfeit the letters of credit or guarantee performance bond of the contractors, and blacklist contractors who refuse to settle their balances.

The committee also has the authority to impose sanctions against the erring City Hall employees that caused the termination of the projects due to fault or negligence.

OVER 300,000 households in Cebu City will get an additional water supply if the Filinvest Group’s proposal to construct desalination and treatment plants is approved by the City Government.

The Gotianun-led conglomerate has recently proposed to the City to increase the city’s water supply through desalination, utilizing the seawater off the city. Its officials paid Mayor Michael Rama a courtesy visit to discuss sustainable solutions to the city’s water supply.

According to Filinvest Group, Rama told its officials that he supports their intent, as part of the city’s vision to achieve a “Singapore-like Cebu City.”

“This partnership will bring affordable and sustainable solutions to our current water shortage, and I believe it will contribute to the development and progress of our city,” Rama was quoted as saying in the company press release.

“With Filinvest’s expertise, we can address our water supply challenges, and most importantly, provide affordable water for all Cebuanos,” he added.

SunStar Cebu reached out to Rama on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, to get further details about the proposal, but he declined to comment. City Administrator Collin Rosell was separately asked about it, but he said he had no knowledge about it.

Assurance

Johnny Roxas, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Filinvest Hitachi Omni Waterworks (Flow), assured Rama that Flow has the experience and expertise in desalination technology.

He told the mayor that their firm’s water desalination and treatment plants in Lapu-Lapu City have been in operation for over five years.

“We are committed to support the development and progress of Cebu City by addressing its water supply challenges,” Roxas said in a press statement released to the media on Wednesday.

Flow is a joint venture between Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC) and Singapore-based Hitachi Aqua-Tech Engineering that aims to provide desalination, recycled water, and sewage treatment facilities across the Philippines.

Backed by Hitachi Aqua-Tech’s expertise, Roxas said Filinvest is positioned “to provide long-term solutions to the water requirements of Cebu, possibly closing the gap on supply deficiency.”

FDC Water Utilities Inc., a wholly owned unit of FDC power and utilities arm FDC Utilities Inc., will operate the plants if the proposal is approved.

Tristan Las Marias, president and CEO of Filinvest Land Inc., joined Flow executives when they visited Rama.

“The Filinvest Group remains dedicated to enabling the dreams of the Cebuanos and further strengthening our presence in the city,” he said. “With the operation of these new water desalination and treatment plants, we aim to provide clean and sustainable water to the people of Cebu.” (with AML)

OVER 5,000 voter registrations were delisted in Cebu City’s South District in one week, said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, three months prior to the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

Data provided by the Comelec-Cebu City South District showed that 5,162 more voters were delisted, bringing the total to 11,377, as of July 18.

Last week, the office reported that were 6,215 delisted voters, as of July 10.

Of the 11,377 delisted registrations, about 5,856 voters were found with two registered biometrics, followed by 3,801 deceased voters, 1,708 transferred individuals and 12 overseas voters.

Election Assistant Officer 2 Meguni Tapia said they started delisting in July 2022, two months after the national elections.

They have done three delistings already after the May 2022 elections.

In the North District, Comelec reported 2,682 delisted registrations from March 29 to July 12, 2023.

Of the number, 1,203 records were deleted due to two registered biometrics, 732 due to deaths, and 716 had transferred to another city or municipality, and 31 overseas voters.

A Cebu City North District election assistant who asked not to be named said these delisted voters came from the district’s 46 barangays.

The filing of the certificate of candidacy for BSKE will run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2. Election Day will be on Oct. 30, and precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (CNU INTERNS GK MARIE DEJACTO AND KIMBERLY GOC-ONG)