Iloilo City PHP 3.5 million mini sweeper draws price scrutiny

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

ILOILO CITY – Questions have been raised over Iloilo City’s PHP 3.5 million purchase of an electric mini sweeper, prompting the city government to say the equipment was funded through financial benefits the city receives from a power generation facility rather than through its regular funds.

The purchase has drawn attention because of its price tag, procurement process, and unit specifications, with some residents calling for the disclosure of procurement documents.

City resident and netizen Manuel Joseph Barredo said the city should disclose the exact purchase price in the interest of transparency and accountability, especially since other suppliers reportedly offer cheaper mini sweeper units.

Barredo said the source of the funding should not exempt the purchase from scrutiny, noting that the city’s share under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, or EPIRA, should likewise be managed prudently and remain subject to audit and accountability.

“It does not matter if the funds used came from the EPIRA share of the city government and did not come from the city’s regular fund,” he said.

He questioned whether the purchase underwent competitive bidding and asked the city to explain why the unit costs more than other models advertised in the market.

Barredo also sought details on the unit’s specifications and features compared with cheaper alternatives, as well as other costs tied to the purchase, including freight and any commission paid to a broker.

He said describing the purchase as transparent without disclosing relevant procurement details would not sufficiently address the concerns.

“The objective is noble but the details of the purchase needs to be explained,” Barredo said.

Another netizen, Rosiebelt Jun Abisado, said the city’s goal of improving its cleaning operations was commendable but called for the disclosure of the procurement documents and the identity of the supplier.

“The intention is good. But disclose the procurement document,” Abisado said.

Abisado also questioned the PHP 3.5 million price tag and called for accountability if the equipment is found to have been overpriced or if irregularities occurred during procurement.

“Modernization is good but do it correctly and honestly,” Abisado said.

HOW MUCH DOES A SWEEPER COST?

Several netizens have questioned whether the city government paid too much for the newly acquired electric road sweeper, citing prices of comparable machines available in the market.

Daily Guardian sought an interview with General Services Office head Neil Ravena on the acquisition, including the machine’s specifications and cost, but he had not responded at the time of posting.

Based on Daily Guardian’s examination of photographs of the equipment, the unit appears to be a compact, enclosed-cab, battery-electric ride-on sweeper with multiple rotating side brushes at the front, a central sweeping mechanism, a dirt-and-debris collection system, and dust-suppression equipment.

The unit is substantially smaller than a conventional truck-mounted vacuum sweeper.

A review of publicly available market prices showed significant variations, but those prices alone do not establish that the city overpaid.

The machines may not be identical, and government procurement costs may include freight, importation, taxes, commissioning, training, spare parts, warranty, and after-sales service.

The exact manufacturer, model, country of origin, technical specifications, battery system, sweeping capacity, warranty, delivery arrangements, and other inclusions in the city’s procurement must also first be established.

One comparable electric road sweeper advertised in the Philippine market is priced at PHP996,930.

The S1900 model is described as a 48-volt, 150-ampere-hour electric sweeper with a 1,900-millimeter sweeping width, a 70-liter water tank, a 200-liter dustbin, four side-brush motors, two suction motors, and a working time of more than four hours.

That advertised price of roughly PHP 1 million is about 28% of the reported PHP 3.5 million cost of the Iloilo City machine.

China-based suppliers, meanwhile, advertise electric street and floor sweepers at about PHP197,000 to PHP372,000 per unit, depending on the model and order quantity.

Smaller road sweepers with features such as large dustbins and solar panels are generally at the lower end, while larger or more specialized electric cleaning sweepers cost about PHP360,000 and above.

Those prices do not include shipping, taxes, and other import-related expenses.

Iloilo City previously acquired a much larger vacuum sweeper truck for PHP 5.8 million.

That machine had a total capacity of 9 cubic meters, consisting of a 2-cubic-meter water tank and a 7-cubic-meter trash bin.

It was intended for major thoroughfares, including Diversion Road, where manual street sweeping poses greater risks because of traffic volume and vehicle speed.

Ravena said in March 2024 that the truck was acquired in part to keep sweepers off Benigno Aquino Jr. Avenue, which he described as a high-speed and wide highway that posed a risk to workers.

CITY HALL DEFENSE  

The city government has defended its purchase of the electric mini sweeper, saying the equipment was funded through financial benefits received by the city under the EPIRA rather than through its regular funds.

“We agree that every peso of public funds should be used wisely and should provide meaningful benefits to our people,” it said Friday, Aug. 28.

The Department of Energy says Energy Regulation No. 1-94, the program that governs the EPIRA host-community benefit, requires power generators to set aside PHP 0.01 per kilowatt-hour of total electricity sales as financial benefits for host communities.

The funds may support electrification, development and livelihood, reforestation, watershed management, and health and environment enhancement projects.

Under the department’s guidelines, half of that centavo goes to an electrification fund, while a development and livelihood fund and a reforestation, watershed management, health and environment enhancement fund each receive 25%, with host cities and municipalities entitled to 35% of each of the two smaller funds.

The city described the sweeper as a “tangible benefit” received through the EPIRA framework and said it would immediately be put to use to support cleaner, safer, healthier, and more walkable public spaces.

The mini sweeper is intended to augment cleaning operations in areas where the city’s larger sweeper truck has difficulty operating, including the Iloilo River Esplanade, Sunset Boulevard, and public plazas.

The compact unit can reportedly operate for about six to eight hours, has a capacity of up to 1.6 tons of collected waste, and is equipped with vacuum and sweeping systems to collect garbage, including organic waste, from public spaces.

“Rather than being an additional expense charged to the city’s coffers, this equipment allows the city government to turn an available benefit into a practical public service that directly benefits our communities,” the city government said.

The city government said it welcomed suggestions for other innovative and sustainable projects that could maximize the benefits received by Iloilo and create greater value for residents.

It also said it welcomed questions from residents who take an interest in how public resources and financial benefits are used.

“A better Iloilo is built through responsible government action and the active participation of its people,” it stressed.

“The city government remains committed to transparency, accountability, and responsible use of resources, ensuring that benefits received by the city are transformed into meaningful and tangible services for the people of Iloilo,” it added.

The seven-paragraph statement, however, did not mention the procurement details or technical specifications of the equipment.