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CEBU CITY, Philippines - A representative of Fabmik Construction and Equipment Corp. that installed the decorative lampposts during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit admitted authorizing the "uprooting" of the 44 lampposts in Mandaue City last year.
Lawyer Romy Fuentes, a representative of Fabmik Construction and Equipment Corp., visited on Monday lawyer Augustinito Hermoso, legal officer of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas (DPWH 7).
Hermoso said Fuentes admitted authorizing removing the lampposts and apologized for not informing the DPWH of his order last year.
?He went there on his own, ingon siya na it was under his direction and said he felt sorry that we were not informed when they removed the posts. I told him it was a blunder on their part,? Hermoso said.
The missing posts were part of the 1,860 posts installed by Fabmik and Gampik Construction in 2006 for the 12th ASEAN Summit.
These are the same posts, priced at P85,000 to P300,000 each, which are subject of an investigation by the Ombudsman on suspicion that they were overpriced.
Hermoso said Fuentes? explanation why they removed the lampposts, worth P9.8 million, was so long.
?I had a hard time comprehending his reason,? he said.
But the Fabmik official maintained that the missing lampposts were allegedly not part of the contract with the DPWH.
Hermoso said he also found unbelievable the claim of Fuentes that the removal of the posts was done in August 2007.
?According to him dugay na kuno gipangtangtang. But I doubt that statement because lately lang man na discover nga nawagtang ang posts,? he said.
He said he told Fuentes that Fabmik should have informed the DPWH when they removed the posts.
?I told him (Fuentes) that those were government property,? he said.
Hermoso said he also intends to write Fabmik's main office in Manila because there is a possibility that the action of their representative in Cebu City was not sanctioned by the main office.
The DPWH official said they will finalize their action against the contractor after they finish their inventory of the lampposts in Mandaue City next week.
?We will act when we have all the facts,? Hermoso said.
