Despite snags, P5.2-B Cordillera projs to be completed – DPWH

BAGUIO CITY – Project implementers of the P5.2 billion State-of-the-Nation Address (SoNA) projects of President Arroyo in the Cordillera are encountering serious delays in the completion of their assigned projects due to man-made and natural causes but they committed that most of the works will be completed in the prescribed deadline.

This was the agreement reached by government engineers, contractors and officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Cordillera during the monthly coordination meeting to thresh out the problems and solutions that are seriously delaying the completion of the projects.

Engineer Roy L. Manao, DPWH regional officer-in-charge, said the identified problems which affect the smooth implementation of works in the SoNA projects include the unpredictable weather condition, overlapping and numerous road-right-of-way claims, sustainable sources of construction aggregates and the occurrence of landslides in major sections of the roads.

Contractors are now rushing the completion of projects along the Mount Data to Bontoc and Bontoc to Banaue sections of the Halsema Highway and the Bontoc-Tinglayan boundary and Tinglayan boundary to Tabuk sections of the Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao road which has been ordered by the President to be completed by December this year.

On the road-right-of-way concerns, Manao said numerous claimants have already signed the permit to entry for contractors to implement widening works within their properties while theagency will be processing the payment of their claims.

He said he is optimistic other claimants, especially those along the Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao road, will follow the examples set by claimants along the Bontoc-Banaue section of the Halsema to ensure completion of the projects on time.

Manao said contractors were already allowed to look for other sources of construction aggregates to avoid slowdown in their project implementation as a result of landslides hampering the continuous delivery of aggregates from the source to the project sites. -- Dexter See