BY ADRIAN P. NEMES III
The repair of the Bacolod Public Plaza is about 98 percent completed and is expected to be finished before the end of next month, City Engineer’s Office acting head, Alan Agbones, told the DAILY STAR yesterday.
Agbones said the reconstruction of the Plaza has an approved budget for the contract of P22 million, sourced from the local government support fund provided by the national government.
He said the project, being spearheaded by Wilkins Construction, was supposed to be finished November last year but has been moved to January due to the ongoing pandemic and bad weather.
Agbones added that there were delays in the delivery of the bricks that the contractor purchased from Manila and Iloilo because of the lockdowns implemented.
Despite this, the city government will still collect liquidated damages from the contractor because it was not able to finish the project on time.
Agbones noted that the liquidated damages will be computed from Dec. 1 until Jan. 31, adding that after the project turnover, the city will check the work done before Wilkins will be able to take back its retention fund.
Retention fund is a form of security provided in construction contracts as limited security for the due performance of the contractor’s obligations under the contract.
The ongoing work at the plaza includes the retiling, repair of the checkered flooring in the center area by replacing it with white and black cement, landscaping, and repainting, Agbones said.
Japanese trellis or roofless sheds were also installed as added attractions while the water fountains will be fixed by the CEO, he said. Agbones also said that only the retiling at the entrance of the plaza facing the old State Theater and other portions are yet to be done.*
