What does P500,000 look like?

Do you see the structure at the center of the picture?  That is an unfinished classroom building in a public school here.

Now this might get me in trouble, but I'll talk about it anyway because it affects me as a locally elected public official.

My dad allocated from his pork barrel funds P500,000.00 for the construction of a classroom building in this public school.

Does that look P500,000.00 worth to you?

I'm not an engineer, but I have been procuring cement and steel bars for the past two years and I can tell you that does not look like 500,000.

But that's what the contractor said to the school principal after the latter complained of the incompletion.

Ubos na daw yung 500,000.  Kung gusto daw nila matapos yung building, humingi nanaman daw sila kay Congressman.

And that's where I come into the story.  The principal went to me to complain about the project.  He showed me the picture and I must agree with him.  That did not look like 500,000.  Poste lang at flooring yun eh.  500,000 na yun?  Pwede ba yun.

You give me 500,000 and I'll come up with two classroom buildings (the way the Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce does its school building projects with Senators Drilon and Gordon).

So when I went to Manila I confronted my dad and showed him the picture.  He asked me who the contractor was.  I told him I didn't know.  He told me to go back to Laoag and confront the District Engineer of the DPWH about it.

And that's what I plan to do.

500,000 my ass.