DPWH execs urged: Hold meetings with public next time:Loakan, Kennon roads’ repair hit

BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Public Works and Highways in the region was urged by a monitoring committee to hold pre-contract planning conferences with stakeholders in implementation of future projects.

This, after the DPWH was criticized by motorists for simultaneously repairing the Loakan and Kennon roads here which they said greatly inconvenienced them due to massive traffic jams as they could not pass through and had to take a long route to reach downtown Baguio or go our of town.

The regional project monitoring committee under the Regional Development Council and city government’s project monitoring unit also proposed that DPWH should avoid simultaneous implementations of projects in cases like this when the public would be inconvenienced.

National Economic Development Authority regional director Juan Ngalob who is acting RDC chairperson and RPMC chairman, said they called for a briefing due to the public’s clamor on the various issues and concerns involving the project.

DPWH project engineer Alfredo Bannagao Jr said the DPWH is implementing simultaneously the Loakan and Kennon road projects as they are :urgent projects.

There is a directive from DPWH Undersecretary Ramon Aquino, directing all district engineers that pump priming projects should be implemented immediately,” he said. “Moreover, there is also a directive that will impose administrative actions to all concerned DPWH officials and employees who will not meet their targets in implementing pump priming projects in their respective areas.”

Bannagao said concreting of the 600 meter part of Loakan road is finished and in its curing period nd could be completely opened by June 23.

For Kennon road, Bannagao, said they will exert all their effort to finish it in a month’s time.

Bannagao also urged public utility firms to transfer their telephone and cable lines, wirings and other obstructions along the affected part of the Kennon road
He also appealed to the city government and the Department of Transportation and Communication help them reroute trucking and other heavy vehicles, to Marcos highway, until the concreting and road widening project in Kennon is finished. – Lito Dar