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Some Random Questions
First Published: Reflections - The Philippine Daily Inquirer Publication Date: 18th November 1995 Author's Name: Father Shay Cullen SSC Some the random questions concern the following : P9 million pesos as outlay for Grounds Maintenance for 1993 -94 according to the SBMA documents. But the public was told by SBMA officials that 8 thousand unpaid 'volunteers' were taking care of ground maintenance as thousands of visitors to the SBMA can surely witness as the smiling volunteers obediently toiled in the hot sun. One million pesos for the planning development of a picnic ground seems a lot of money too. Then there is the P2.5 million for dredging at El Kabayo, Triboa, Binanga and Mt. Santa Rita. But El Kabayo is the inland horse stables with only a small stream running through it and Mt. Santa Rita in a inland mountain where a tall communications tower stands against the skyline. How can one dredge a mountain peak? Another questionable item is the P24 million allocated in 1993 for the construction of standard factory buildings and warehouses when there were dozens of existing buildings and warehouses still unoccupied and many repaired by the US Navy after the Pinatubo eruption. There is P2,100,000 worth of Icom portable radio units @ P14,000 each allocated for 1993 but the list of purchases without public bidding for September 92 - August 93 shows only 21 units of Icom radios accounted for - bought from one Jack Tan. Perhaps there are plausible explainatons for all of these and many more which I cant list here at this time but then one still wonders about the following : P15 million for a helicopter in 1993 was a big item - presumably for the chairman. Just one of the little perks of office I guess in this poverty stricken country. The 1993 allocation for assorted firearms - P20 milion pesos! and also ten sniper scopes for P 125,000. This is enough for a private army! The SBMA bought a total of 388 motor vehicles in 1992 from the US Navy for P31 million and allocated 133 for it own use. The average price paid for each was P79,896. But despite this the SBMA still needed more. It allocated a whopping 36.3 Million pesos for 49 new vehicles from 1993 to 1995 with an average price of P741,836.00 each. That is for the security department alone. ! Who would know if these vehicles really were bought at all or were just supplied from the 388 vehicles already available from the 388 purchased from US navy? I guess we will never know unless the SMBA will parade their new vehicles for the public to admire. There should be 15 new patrol cars and 10 new pick-up trucks, 5 boats, 8 buses, 2 step vans and 4 vans and 2 motor cycles on parade for inspection as of December 1994.
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