DPWH officials, contractors assailed for endangering lives

BONTOC, Mountain Province -- Motorists assailed Dept. of Public Works and Highways officials and contractors doing work along Halsema Highway in the Mountain Province side for not placing safety measures like signs or advisories exposing road users to danger and unnecessary inconvenience.

Joel Fagsao, owner of the Xijen Computer School here, said Phase 2 of the Mt. Data to Bontoc road, which is now undergoing widening and concreting, had become dangerous to motorists.

In a letter to Vice Gov. Louis Claver and members of the provincial board, Fagsao said there was need for local legislation on road safety measures and other related government projects in Mountain Province.

Fagsao said construction and repair along the Mt. Data to Bontoc route was lacking in warning devices and traffic management including directories for motorists. “There is not even an advisory on road conditions on all exit roads.”

Motorists have aired that presence of warning devices and proper traffic management especially in critical portions of the road under repair could help minimize if not prevent the destruction of properties, unnecessary accidents and loss of lives.

Fagsao cited the road incident last Sept.13 along the on-going road widening at Barangay Lukib, Bauko where truck driver Winston Sili Pawid met his instant death when boulders fell on his truck and a landslide carried it down.

Recently, drivers and owners of vehicles plying the Sabangan to Bontoc road have also brought out their ill-feelings on the contractors of this multi-million project for their seeming disregard to road safety of motorists.

Fagsao appealed to provincial board members to institute local laws to hold contractors responsible and ensure that ongoing projects provide adequate safety measures to their workers and the public at large.

The on-going improvement of the Halsema Highway is part of the flagship program of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the North Luzon Agri-Business Quadrangle.

But the road projects have been questioned by concerned individuals and cause-oriented groups saying these were tainted with anomalies since these were not done following specifications.

The road projects were also reported to have been implemented following irregular bidding processes.

The regional DPWH office denied the allegations but Highways Sec. Hermogenes Ebdane personally conducted an investigation and found out some of the projects were irregular as these were not done properly following technical project specifications.

Ebdane ordered regional and provincial DPWH officials to make contractors redo the projects according to plans and specifications thus the ongoing road works which motorists complained about since proper road signs or advisories were not set up by Highways officials or contractors. – With a report from Andrew Dogaong