TWO years after the delivery of 27 garbage trucks to the provincial government of Pampanga, 15 units remain undistributed and are now being claimed by weeds, vines, and rust despite being recorded as “brand new” due to non-use.
Government auditors said the trucks were part of the P303.56 million vehicle procurement undertaken by the province in 2021 and 2022, which is now undergoing scrutiny due to reported deficiencies.
The audit team said there was no project proposal in support of the procurement and the distribution was not covered by deeds of donation, “casting doubt on the regularity of the transactions contrary to Section 4 (6) of the Government Auditing Code of the Philippines.
Records showed the 27 garbage trucks worth P39.15 million were delivered on July 28, 2021 by winning supplier City-West Motors Corp.
Auditors noted that although unused, the 15 idle garbage trucks are no longer covered by a one-year warranty that expired in July 2022.
“It was observed further that the said trucks were exposed to the elements, causing weeds to crawl on some parts of the body. It was further noticed that some trucks showed signs of rust on their cargo bay which can be attributed to prolonged exposure to rain and sun,” they added.
Aside from the trucks, the province also acquired 215 closed vans to the tune of P264.407 million also from City-West Motors Corp.
The Notice of Award was issued on April 5, 2022 and the Notice to Proceed on May 2, 2022.
Delivery started on the same date.
This means the one-year warranty is expiring today — bad news for the province since 16 units of the vans remain undistributed, with 10 stored at a warehouse in Global Aesana Industrial Park in San Simon, Pampanga while the remaining six units are with the Provincial Engineer’s Office Compound in Sindalan, City of San Fernando.
A distribution list for the 199 vans showed 33 went to Lubao; 24 to Magalang; 23 to Arayat; 20 to Mabalacat City; 12 each to Apalit and Bacolor; and 11 each to Guagua and San Luis.
The municipalities of Mexico and San Simon each had nine units; eight for Minalin; six to Sta. Rita; five to Porac; four each to Sasmuan and Floridablanca; three for San Fernando City and Macabebe; and two for Masantol.
The Commission on Audit sought an explanation on why the provincial government proceeded with the transaction even if some of the intended recipients were not yet certain.
According to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO), the garbage trucks procurement was prompted by the lack of waste disposal facilities in several municipalities, a problem identified during the Executive-Legislative Agenda 2020-2022 meeting.
The idle dump trucks were the ones intended for cluster barangays based on recommendation from municipal and barangay officials using the factors of population, proximity to waste disposal facilities,and volume of waste generated.
However, distribution hit a snag since the clustered barangays could not decide which among them would acknowledge ownership of the vehicle with attendant responsibility and expense of maintenance.
The COA said this could have been avoided if there was adequate planning prior to the procurement.
