By Dexter A. See
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet -- The controversial foreign-funded rehabilitation of the P682 million Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes road will be brought to the House of Representatives once it resumes its regular session by the end of this month if concerned agencies refuse to satisfactorily act on the complaints of local officials and concerned residents.
This was bared by Rep. Samuel M. Dangwa who claimed he was not satisfied on how officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways acted on the complaints of alleged substandard works done by China Harbor Development Corporation, the contractor of the upgrading of the road linking northern Benguet, Mountain Province , Ifugao and the Ilocos region.
The rehabilitation of the 43-km road from Abatan, Buguias to Cervantes, Ilocos Sur passing to Mankayan, Benguet is funded by the P682 million loan of the Philippine government from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC).
Based on the complaints of the local officials and concerned residents, the constructi9on of drainage canals and stone walls were described to be below par because the contractor used hallow blocks to support the system instead of using concrete support structures.
Moreover, the riprap walls were poorly done as evidenced by the reported washed out portions of the road during recent occurrence of continuous rains.
However, Dangwa claimed DPWH seem to defend the works of the contractors instead of conducting the needed ocular inspections by themselves to see what is actually happening in the area before concluding that the road project is in accordance to project plans and specifications.
Various sectors in Mankayan town branded the road upgrading project as substandard as compared to the works of the Italian contractor in the rehabilitation of the Cervantes to Tagudin section of the Benguet-Ilocos Sur road to complete the roadline which would allow better travel from Benguet to the Ilocos region.
The Abatan to Mankayan section of the road has a total distance of over 13 kilometers while the Mankayan to Cervantes section of the roadline measures approximately 31 kilometers.
The lawmaker explained if DPWH officials continue to remain deaf on the plight of the local officials and concerned residents, it is best for the House to take over in the conduct of the investigation so that the contractor will be forced to comply with better quality of work.
The upgrading of the road is part of the Cordillera Road Improvement Project (CRIP), the blueprint of the development of all roads in the region, which was the handy work of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera over the past two decades.
The RDC has been constantly appealing for public vigilance on the implementation of projects within their areas to ensure better quality.
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