The Paranaque City Council will conduct a thorough investigation on January 24 regarding the controversial P414 million deal with the new garbage contractor entered into by the city government during the height of the Christmas season last year.
Councilor Marvin Santos, as chairman of the rules and oversight committee and former actor who is now Councilor Jomari Yllana, chairman of the committee on environment, natural resources and waste management, will both lead the investigation.
Earlier, Parañaque Vice Mayor Joan Villafuerte announced that for unknown reasons, the city’s garbage contractor has been ‘canned’ for nine years without first seeking the approval of the 28-member city council .
In his privilege speech, Villafuerte asserted that the city government violated Section 22 of the Local Government Code when he signed the Metrowaste Solid Waste Management Corp. contract. worth P414, 803, 520, on December 27, 2022.
“Unless otherwise stipulated in the code, no contract can be entered into by the local chief executive on behalf of the local government unit without the prior authorization of the Sanggunian concerned xxx,” said the vice mayor.
Pagkatapos ng talumpati ni Villafuerte, nagpahayag din ng kani-kanilang privilege speech sina dating bise alkalde ng lungsod at ngayon ay konsehal ng lungsod na si Rico Golez at Konsehal Jomari Yllana na tumututol sa ‘very inadequate and poor’ garbage collection ng bagong garbage contractor at kawalan ng for proper foresight sa panig ng mayor.
Nagtataka si Yllana kung bakit pinalitan ng administrasyong Olivarez ang Leonel Waste Management Corp. sa kabila ng pagiging mahusay, may kakayahan at maayos sa pangongolekta ng basura sa mga barangay ng lungsod sa loob ng siyam na taon.
Ayon sa konsehal, tatlong linggo nang binabaha ang kanyang tanggapan ng mga reklamo ng mga residente sa pagsasabing napaka-incompetent at unskilled ng bagong basurero kahit binayaran ng milyun-milyong piso ng pamahalaang lungsod.
Bids and Awards Committee chairman and City administrator Voltaire de la Cruz is the top city official invited by the two committees to explain why he failed to inform councilors that the contract had been awarded to Metrowaste.
Also summoned were city legal officer Pancho Vazquez and City Environment and Natural Resources Office acting head Mark Besa, who the councilors noticed had been picking up trash on the streets himself for the past three weeks instead of Metrowaste employees. Hayzz.
