The Presidential Communications Office is finalizing the process of donation of its property to a state university in Bukidnon, according to PCO Secretary Dave Gomez.
The property was originally intended as a training center for government information officers.
The construction of the Government Strategic Communications Academy (GSCA) was initiated by the Presidential Communications Operations Office, which was renamed PCO, under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian earlier flagged the PCO for tapping the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the construction of the project, saying it falls outside the core function of the PCO.
Gomez said he agrees with Gatchalian’s opinion. He gave assurance that the project would benefit government scholars at Northern Bukidnon State College.
‘The previous administration should not have engaged in such a public works project that falls outside our core responsibility,’ Gomez said.
Citing a 2024 report of the Commission on Audit (COA), Gatchalian said the PCOO entered into a contract with the DPWH in 2019 for the implementation of the second phase of the GSCA project worth P45.7 million.
He said a 2020-2023 report of the COA listed a similar project with a different amount of P79 million.
The project has no budget allocation for 2026 as the funds have been allotted for the completion of the remaining 10 percent of the facility, Gatchalian said.
‘We’ve already spent P124 million and the project is 90 percent complete. If we don’t finish this, it will become a white elephant,’ Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said.