Restart of long-delayed Cebu City bridge project pushed

Local

THE Cebu City Government is pushing to restart the long-delayed construction of a bridge in Barangay Pulangbato, over a year after its original schedule.

This follows the termination of the contractor’s contract due to significant delays and safety concerns.

In a council session of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) on Thursday, April 24, officials discussed the need to invoke an emergency procurement process to expedite the project, which has been pending since 2013.

Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, in an interview after the session, said the bridge project had been requested by the barangay as early as 2013, but faced several setbacks, the most recent being the failure of the original contractor, SBD Builders, to complete the works.

“This was requested by the barangay as early as 2013. The project was supposed to start last year, but the contractor was unable to deliver. We had no choice but to cancel and terminate the contract,” Garcia said in Cebuano.

The city government has since moved to terminate its agreement with SBD Builders, which had only completed 36.02 percent of the bridge despite being granted a 60-day extension.

The original completion date of the P28-million project was May 11, 2024, but was later extended to September 30, 2024.

The incomplete bridge, which connects Sitio Candarong to Tanay Road, was severely damaged by Typhoon Odette in 2021 and further compromised by Tropical Depression Agaton in 2022.

With the project still unfinished, residents have been forced to use unsafe makeshift routes to cross the Butuanon River.

“Right now, it’s dry season, so they can still pass. But once the rains come and the river swells, it becomes impassable and extremely dangerous,” Garcia added.

Garcia said the city now plans to begin the procurement process anew through an emergency procurement method.

However, due to the ongoing election ban, awarding of government contracts is currently restricted unless the project is granted exemption.

“We need a disaster council resolution to request the city council to approve the procurement via the emergency process. Hopefully, this will be approved by next Wednesday so we can start,” the mayor said.

“But since this was not included in the exemption list for the election ban, the awarding might only happen after the elections. Hopefully, by next month,” he added.

Barangay Pulangbato Captain John Barry Miñoza, in a separate interview, urged the city council to expedite the process.

He emphasized the urgent need for the bridge’s completion while the dry season still permits safe construction.

“I am appealing to the city council not to delay this any further. We’ve waited long enough. Once the rains begin, it’s going to be very difficult, especially since we’re dealing with the Butuanon River,” Miñoza said in Cebuano.

In November 2024, the Cebu City Council approved a resolution declaring a state of emergency in Barangay Pulangbato, in response to a request filed by the barangay council a month earlier.

However, the procurement process was stalled due to the need to process documents related to the contract’s termination.

Earlier this year, Garcia confirmed that the city had issued a notice of termination to SBD Builders, giving them seven days to explain the delays.

He said the contractor would still be paid for the work already accomplished, subject to a joint inspection.

Garcia also said that while questions remain about SBD Builders’ performance, he has not yet decided whether to recommend their blacklisting from future city projects, pending evaluation from the Bids and Awards Committee.

SBD Builders is also the contractor behind the delayed rubberized track oval project at the Cebu City Sports Center, which has faced similar scrutiny due to delays.(TGP)