Mayor urges flood control contractors to pay local taxes

By Felipe V. Celino

PANAY, Capiz — Mayor Jonathan “Sonny” Besa has appealed to contractors undertaking flood control and infrastructure projects in Panay town to fulfill their tax obligations to the municipal government.

The mayor issued the appeal during an engagement session with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and affiliated contractors held Friday afternoon, September 19, at the Panay municipal hall.

“I asked the contractors with projects here to pay their taxes as it is needed by the local government for its operations,” Besa said.

Of the five contractors currently operating in Panay, two have yet to settle their tax dues with the municipality.

Besa convened the meeting with DPWH and contractor representatives to raise issues discovered by local officials, including a lack of coordination with the municipal government prior to project implementation.

He expressed dismay over several flood control projects that remain incomplete despite their target completion dates having lapsed.

As a result, Besa requested a list of all ongoing, incoming, and completed projects in Panay from the DPWH 1st Capiz Engineering District.

DPWH 1st District Engineer Cecil Lawrence Cruz provided a list showing seven ongoing flood control projects in the town, including new works in Barangays Cogon and Jamul-awon, while five others are delayed.

These include:

• Widening of Permanent Bridges – Anhawon Bridgealong the Iloilo East Coast–Capiz Road by JMK Builders Construction, which began March 28, 2023, and was due for completion on November 2, 2023, but has been suspended due to unresolved issues.
• Construction of Flood Mitigation Facilitiesalong the Panay/Mambusao River Basin in Barangay Agbalo by Jasa GD 2000 Construction Corp., which started May 6, 2024, and is slated for completion on May 27, 2025.
• Construction of Flood Mitigation Structure – River Controlalong the Panay River in Barangay Cogon, implemented by MRRM Trading & Construction/Salmega Builders (Joint Venture), which began March 24, 2025, and is set for completion on March 10, 2026.

Two more ongoing projects were contracted to Alpha & Omega General Contractor & Development Corp., owned by spouses Pacifico and Sarah Discaya, but work has been suspended due to the revocation of the firm’s license by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB).

These are:

• Widening of Anhawon Bridge Phase 2, which started July 8, 2024, and was targeted for completion by March 4, 2025.
• Construction of Flood Mitigation Facilitiesalong the Panay/Mambusao River Basin in Barangay Tico, which began April 14, 2024, and was scheduled to finish by November 6, 2025.

Contractors cited inclement weather and unresolved land disputes as primary reasons for the delays.

Besa has suggested to the DPWH that the suspended projects by Alpha & Omega be rebid to prevent further delays in implementation.

He noted that a total of PHP 88.2 million has been allocated for the execution of the seven identified infrastructure projects.