BAGUIO CITY – The City government will bid out the maintenance and operation of the clean public comfort rooms after the lapse of the 15year agreement entered between the local government and the current operator, R&R Sanitary and Management Services.
City Budget Officer Leticia O. Clemente informed the members of the City Council that the City General Services Officer was earlier tasked to prepare the terms of reference for the public bidding for the long-term maintenance and operation of the city’s public comfort rooms located in major parks and public places around the city.
Clemente said the decision to bid out the maintenance and operation of the city’s public comfort rooms is due to the upcoming expiration of the current contract.
Members of the local legislative body were informed by the city finance committee that the operator is only required to pay rentals for the different public toilets that they manage.
The local government decided to bid out the maintenance and operations of the different public comfort rooms around the city sometime in 2001 since it was not able to properly maintain these facilities which earned the ire of visitors and local residents.
Subsequently, the maintenance and operation of the public toilets was awarded to R&R Sanitary and Management Services, a locally-owned company, through a 15-year contract to guarantee the year-round cleanliness of the said toilets.
These clean public toilets gained positive comments from visitors and local residents and the company was given citations by the tourism department over the past several years.
The next terms of reference will be submitted to the local legislative body for approval before the public bidding.
Earlier, the City Council Committee on Laws chaired by Councilor Faustino Olowan recommended that there should be a unified contract between the local government and the company maintaining the city’s public toilets to prevent confusion on the rentals to be paid by the operators to the city and for them to easily understand the contents of the agreement.
Under the existing contract, the R&R Sanitary and Management Services is empowered to repair and improve the different public comfort rooms that they are tasked to maintain at its own expense and that it will recover the investments through the user’s fees that it charges.
Local officials will further improve the conditions of the agreement to ensure the quality operation of the toilets before it is bid out. /By Dexter A. See
