By CESAR JOLITO III

A total of P10.6 billion in public funds has been allocated for various infrastructure projects in Bacolod City from 2016 to 2025, according to a report compiled by the Council of Concerned Citizens (C3), based on data from the Department of Public Works and Highways website.

According to C3, the largest share of the allocation went to projects categorized under “others” at 44.1 percent, followed by flood control (21.2 percent), road projects (18.5 percent), buildings (10 percent), and drainage systems (6.2 percent) — the lowest among all categories.

In terms of project implementation, 84 percent of the listed projects are already completed, 15.8 percent are ongoing, and 0.2 percent remain unspecified.

C3 also identified the Top 5 contractors that handled the bulk of Bacolod’s public works projects during the period: IBC International Builders, Legacy Construction, Supreme ABF Construction, MKU Construction, and A.C. Rivero.

The report detailed the scope, budget allocations, project types, and contractors involved in the city’s infrastructure developments over the past decade.

In a statement, C3 said its independent report was part of a civic initiative to strengthen public monitoring of government spending and ensure that infrastructure projects deliver real benefits to the people of Bacolod rather than existing only on paper.

It aims to promote transparency and accountability in the use of public funds.

“We believe that transparency is the first step toward accountability,” C3 said.

“Taxpayers deserve to know how every peso is spent and whether these projects truly serve public interest,” it added.

Earlier, C3 was set to release this week its partial report on their ongoing investigation into various flood control projects across Negros Occidental.

The group has sought the cooperation of the National Bureau of Investigation, particularly on documents used by the agency as a basis for declaring that there are no “ghost projects” in Bacolod City./CJ, WDJ