• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Bacolod councilors Al Victor Espino and Celia Flor defended the Sangguniang Panlungsod’s decision to reject Councilor Homer Bais’ proposed resolution seeking a Commission on Audit (COA) probe into the delayed P765-million Legislative Building project.
Espino clarified Oct. 30 that calling for a fraud audit is premature on a city project initiated under former mayor, and now Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez, and continued under Mayor Greg Gasataya, without factual backing.
He explained that passing the proposed resolution would be equivalent to making unnecessary insinuations without complete background information.
Espino clarified that while a draft resolution belongs to its author during introduction, it becomes an official sentiment of the SP as a collective body once voted upon and adopted by the members.
Explaining his decision not to vote for the measure, he said the SP lacked the technical expertise to ascertain if delays stem from fraud, pointing out that technical evaluations fall under the City Engineer’s Office.
“I would rather stand by the fact that the Sangguniang Panlungsod based our decisions on facts,” Espino said, adding that he would not yield to public pressure.
Flor, in a media interview Oct. 29, similarly stood by the SP’s rejection, explaining that the city should wait for COA’s standard 2026 annual audit report expected in January 2027 rather than rushing a special probe, especially since the 2025 audit yielded no adverse findings.
While expressing her own frustrations over the project’s timeline, Flor noted that the SP plans to summon contractors Legacy Construction Corporation and MKU Construction and Supply to explain the delays.
The proposed measure failed to pass during the 69th SP regular session Oct. 27 despite Bais’ agreement to strike out references to fraud from his motion, with only Councilor Wilson Gamboa Jr. voting in favor. | TMD
