4,786 bags of hardened cement found in Bacolod

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By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – At least 4,686 bags of cement were discovered to have hardened and become unusable at a city government warehouse in Bacolod.

An additional 100 bags of solidified cement were also found in a separate warehouse in Barangay Alijis.

Mayor Greg Gasataya expressed disappointment following spot inspections at the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) warehouse in the Bacolod City College compound and another facility in Alijis over the weekend.

The wasted construction materials, valued at approximately PHP 1.1 million, were initially allocated for various city infrastructure projects, Gasataya said.

“It could have gone a long way—for building additional classrooms, barangay infrastructure projects, and more,” the mayor added.

Gasataya has directed the CEO to submit an explanation for the oversight.

“There’s something that needs to be done,” he warned.

“This might be painful and there will be resistance, but we will do something out-of-the-box. If this means filing cases, we will do so.”

The discovery followed the mayor’s directive for the newly formed Inventory Team to audit all city government assets, including supplies under the CEO.

CEO officer-in-charge Engr. Loben Ceballos acknowledged that some of the cement had been in storage for years, transferred from an old warehouse during the construction of the Bacolod City College complex.

“The hardened cement came from the old warehouse,” Ceballos said.

“We made it into a bedding for the new cements to avoid damaging the stocks, but due to the number of stocks, this happened.”

To prevent further losses, the city government has begun construction of a PHP 67 million warehouse at the Bredco area, which is expected to be completed within the year.

Ceballos emphasized the urgent need to set clear guidelines for efficient asset and supply management.

Gasataya’s inspection also covered other facilities, including the CEO and General Services Office warehouses in Barangay Alijis, and the Midway Facility.

Originally built as a Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Midway Facility is now being used for temporary storage.

The mayor noted that the facility itself is also in need of repairs and proper cleanup.