Lapu-Lapu mayor won’t sue Goldfin over drainage project

LAPU-LAPU City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan will no longer press charges against Goldfin Construction and Development Corp., the contractor of the long-overdue drainage project on the Ibabao-Agus Road in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City.

Chan made the decision after noting that the contractor had completed the P30 million project following his ultimatum to finish it on or before Jan. 9, 2023.

“Wala na. Dili na kay nahuman na man nila,” he told SunStar Cebu Thursday, Jan.19. (No more because they already finished it.)

Nicarter Meniamen, site engineer of Goldfin Construction and Development Corp., said they already finished the project last Jan. 7.

Meniamen said the project was finished sometime in November last year, but he stressed that they still needed to work on an additional 15 meters.

“Pagsukod namo, nakuwangan na siya og 15 meters. Mao tong naulahi or nabalikan namo og trabaho, unya naabtan pag January,” he said.

(When we measured it, we saw that 15 meters was lacking. That’s why it was late or we had to get back to work on it, until it reached January.)

The site engineer, however, admitted they had other delayed projects in the city, particularly the road widening at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Mactan Newtown.

But Meniamen said the delay in the road-widening projects was due to the unpaid road right of way, which should be settled by the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Delayed start

As for the drainage project, it was supposed to start in August 2020 and be completed in August 2022, but Meniamen said the construction was suspended and delayed due to the lack of outfall.

“Nakasugod gyud mi ana is October 2021 na kay anha pa nisugot ang mayor anang nakapalit na or nakakita na sa Sudtunggan og labayanan,” he said.

(We were able to begin work only in October 2021 because the mayor would agree to the start only when we were able to buy or find an area for the outfall in Sudtunggan.)

Sudtunggan is a sitio in Barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City.

Meniamen said they did not buy a lot for the outfall. Instead, they just negotiated with the landowner in Sudtunggan to allow them to have the drainage system pass through there in exchange for filling the area, which resembled a fish pond, with soil and filling materials.

“Amo tong gi-negotiate nga moagi mi sa ilang yuta, pero ang agreement is patambakan nila ang ilang yuta kay mura man og fish pond ang area,” he said.

“Gi-negotiate lang namo nga adto mi moagi or mopagawas og tubig kay murag dagat na or sapa padung dagat. Wala ray bayad to kay ang gi-barter namo is kato rang gitambakan ra namo tong ilang area ug yuta,” Meniamen said.

The mayor earlier said the unfinished drainage and road projects in the city gives a bad impression of the city because of the traffic they cause.

Instead of the usual 10 minutes to travel from the airport to hotels and resorts, Chan said it now takes tourists about 40 minutes to get to their destinations.