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Ric Maulion .

GMA-7 Public Affairs, through Jessica Soho’s Kapuso Mo, featured lately four big white elephants in the country. They are Mandulog Bridge (P61 million), Catarman Bridge (P141 million), Batangas Provincial Livelihood Center (P237 million) and yes, the fourth, Cagayan de Oro’s International Convention Center on an Indahag property overlooking the city.

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With a P494-million budget, it is the biggest so far among the three other projects. Summing up, it’s a cool P933 million! Surely that money would have been more than enough to undertake many useful infrastructure projects.

But sorry guys, that huge taxpayers’ money went down the drain, licked clean and dry by smarter but irresponsible and corrupt officials. All projects were either not completed or if claimed to have been  completed, have remained unused to this day.

The projects, by the way, don’t include those found in our respective districts or areas. You have only to go around and open your eyes to see smaller white elephants around.

The Taytay Public Market is one, Maki Pulido noted in her coverage of the still unused convention center here. Taytay is actually the garments capital of the country. Many garments displayed at Divisoria and presumably all over are made in Taytay. My two kiddos earlier in Manila brought me there and I can validate Maki Pulido’s observation: the market is in disarray, dilapidated, chaotic and worse, literally and figuratively fishy.

Whatever happened to Cagayan de Oro’s International Convention Center is indeed baffling given that the budget was taken from Priority Development Assistance Program allocation of the then senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr.. Of course, we all know that his moral persuasion and integrity are beyond reproach. But with the still unfinished convention center, his name  and credibility are at stake.

The first tranche of the money involving P349 million was already downloaded straight to Department of Public Works and Highways, the implementing agency. “I just don’t want that people would doubt that certain contractors are favored in the project,” he said. Whatever he means by that.

There seems to be a passing of the buck. DPWH-10 Engr. Patrocenio Pichay would later claim that the money was not received in full. The balance  was spread for release within a nine-year period. Regrettably, this delayed work on the project.

Two tranches later followed for two other contractors. The third even requested a one-year extension for the final touches — the ceiling, sanitary facilities and toilets, electrical connections, and floors, among others. The leakage, too, needed to be fixed. The floor became a swimming pool.

Fast forward: I once visited the Convention Center and saw how grandeur the plan was for the facility on a one-hectare property that could seat 7,700 people. It has become a landmark of corruption instead.

The project would have helped in putting Cagayan de Oro in the map for national conventions given that it is a relatively peaceful Mindanao city and a “melting pot.” It has been recognized as one of the fastest growing cities in Asia. With this white elephant, we could be known as a corruption capital.

What is the status of this project? It’s warranty period has already expired. It was constructed on June 30, 2001 and it should have been completed on Aug. 18, 2003 based on the approved plan. It’s now 2018, and that’s roughly 15 years way off the timeline.

Engr. Pichay provided flimsy reasons for the delay — from bad weather to fund release delays.

Angry people said the government might as well stop the project and save whatever money is left. And why not elevate the case to the Office of the Ombudsman and let the wheel of justice roll? We should always be vigilant because it is the peoples’ money that’s being used in projects like this.

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