On Friday, Gus Lopez handed in his resignation letter after being informed he was about to be fired, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald. City Manager Jorge Gonzalez reportedly told the paper they were going to let Lopez go because of ‘lost confidence’ in the ability to do his job, insubordination and ‘inappropriate’ handling of a personal matter.

Gonzalez would not say if the ‘inappropriate’ handling of a matter was in regards to the process of short listing a number of development teams to compete for the Miami Beach Convention Center District project.

Last Thursday, the city pushed back the March 29th deadline for interested developers to submit of qualifications to April 23rd. This was the second deadline extension in a week.

In June, Miami Beach commissioners are expected to choose a list of four or five development teams to design master plans and negotiate with the city. Those teams will then compete against each other.

Voters will likely need to approve long-term public land leases, a bed-tax hike on hotel guests and an increase in height limits for the project to be realized.

CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed to this report.

THE Iloilo Sangguniang Panlalawigan has written the epitaph of the controversial P350-million convention center project endorsed by the Tupas administration.

Nine members of the provincial board including Vice Governor Rolex Suplico have agreed that the project is now “dead in the water.”

Suplico said they reached the agreement during the executive Monday afternoon at the SP session hall to discuss the alleged bribery of three board members.

The executive meeting also discussed purported advance payment received by then board member now Rep. Niel “Jun-Jun” Tupas Jr. (5^th district, Iloilo).

Surprisingly, an ally of Governor Niel Tupas Sr., board member June Mondejar also agreed to bury the convention center project.

Other board members present in the meeting were Jett Rojas, Giuseppe Gumban, Richard Garin, Macario Napulan, Celia Colada and George Demaisip.

The opposition-laden SP in 2007 withdrew two resolutions authorizing Gov. Tupas to negotiate a loan agreement with Philippine Veterans Bank to finance the project and to negotiate the construction of the convention center.

But last January 20, the governor revived the proposed project in his State of the Province Address (Sopa) as part of his measures to stymie the effects of the global financial crisis.
Seven days after Tupas delivered the Sopa, board members Rojas, Mariano Malones and June Mondejar allegedly met with a certain Cedrick Lee in a hotel near the capitol building.

According to Rojas and Malones, Lee offered each of them P300,000 if they agree to revive the project.

Lee, the two board members alleged, was willing to give P50,000 upfront if they agree on the spot.

Lee is the former business partner of David Bunevacz who was hired by the provincial government to conduct the feasibility study on the project.

In several radio interviews, Mondejar denied the bribe offer.

But Rojas and Malones both confirmed the alleged bribery attempt.

Malones also clarified that Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada arranged the meeting with Lee but the latter was not present in the January 27 dinner.