BAGUIO CITY August 05 – Members of the City Council took turns in criticizing officials of the regional and district offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the delayed implementation and poor quality infrastructure projects in the city that are now causing tremendous traffic and inconvenience to the motoring and commuting public.
The council expressed disappointment over the repeated failure of the regional and district offices of the DPWH to closely coordinate with the local government, public utility companies and other sectors affected by the programmed infrastructure projects in the city to avoid traffic jams and inconvenience to the public. This is happening perennially
Worst, the council stated the DPWH offices seem to take for granted the local government and the public in the implementation of projects by refusing to work round-the-clock that would have shortened the suffering of the public, thus, the need for concerned agencies and offices to now strictly impose adherence to the timeline and the programs of work by contractors.
Engr. Edgardo Enriquez, assistant chief of the DPWH-CAR’s planning and design division, apologized to the members of the council and the public for the current tremendous traffic congestions around the central business district and other barangays caused by the simultaneous implementation of programmed public works projects in adherence to the request of the local government not to implement such during the peak tourism months of February up to May.
He revealed the completion of the drainage system project along Abanao St. will be completed by the end of this week, the project along Gov. Pack Road in front of the Baguio City National High School (BCNHS) will be finished by August 15, while the drainage project along Harrison Road, particularly in the night market area, will be completed by August 25.
The council reminded the DPWH offices to strictly oblige their contractors to install billboards within their project sites to inform the public what agency is in charge of the project and if there are any complaints about the performance of contractors, then the public can get directly get in touch with the concerned agency and not direct these to the local government.
Enriquez informed the councilors that the regional and district offices of the DPWH already issued appropriate directives to the concerned contractors for them to complete their projects on time or else the agencies will be compelled to impose the appropriate liquidating damages against the erring contractors.
On the issue raised against the failure of contractors to install the mandatory billboards on their project sites, Enriquez confirmed that some contractors have failed to comply with this requirements, hence the imposition of the appropriate penalties against the erring contractors.
An observer, however, was not optimistic on the effect of the berating by the City Council because the DPWH people had been taking for granted similar rebukes in the past which they never took to heart. They might have been laughing on their way out of City Hall.
**By Dexter A. See
