The Cebu Provincial Government is taking steps to activate government facilities flagged by the Commission on Audit (COA) for long periods of non-use, Provincial Administrator Atty. Ace Durano said.
Durano assured the public that completed infrastructure projects funded by taxpayers should serve their intended purpose and not remain idle.
COA’s 2024 audit report identified three provincial projects worth over P50 million that have remained unused for years despite being completed.
These include the Cebu Provincial Skills Training Center in Inayagan, Naga City; the Bahay Pag-asa for Children in Conflict with the Law (CICL) in Inayagan; and the Cebu Provincial Dormitory at the Capitol Site in Cebu City.
The audit warned that prolonged non-use violates government rules on efficient public resource management and deprives communities of essential services.
Durano said the province has already started addressing the issue.
He cited the Skills Training Center in Inayagan as an example of a facility now being put to use.
After an earthquake damaged nearby school buildings last September, students of Inayagan National High School were transferred to the Skills Training Center for safety.
About 800 students are now using the facility, which sits on a two-hectare property and has provided an immediate solution after the old school buildings were abandoned.
COA previously reported that the Skills Training Center, completed in 2018 and later rehabilitated after Typhoon Odette, had never been used for its original purpose and had already incurred millions of pesos in depreciation.
The Bahay Pag-asa facility in Inayagan, completed in 2020, also remained unused for nearly four years, raising concerns from auditors.
Durano said both the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) have requested to use the facility, either as a rehabilitation center or as a home for troubled children.
He added that Governor Pamela Baricuatro is reviewing both options to determine which agency will manage the facility.
Meanwhile, the Cebu Provincial Dormitory at the Capitol Site has remained idle for five years despite being completed in 2019 and turned over to health agencies.
COA noted that all three idle facilities have already suffered significant depreciation, amounting to roughly 20 percent of their total project costs. (SBA)
