Boasaw water project gone awry

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- The  Sangguniang Bayan in their regular meeting here last week reiterated their position withdrawing their  signatures in a resolution authorizing Mayor Eduardo Latawan to enter into a memorandum of  agreement  between the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource and Management  Project (CHARMP) and the local government unit  and release of CHARP  counterpart funds, as they  requested  funding agencies to  review and  investigate  the project.

The project: Improvement of  Buasao  Irrigation System and Construction of  Tanulong  Tribe Irrigators

Association Water Services, is funded by P18 million from the priority development assistance funds of  Senator  Teofisto Guingona 111 and  P18 million  from CHARMP.

Said  project which is currently  undergoing construction  was awarded to  Cotabato-based FFJJ Construction  in a bidding done  December last year.

The resolution said the project would end at  Aitio  Capinitan instead of the intended  south central and  eastern barangays of  Sagada. The project only reaches three northern barangays of Madongo, Bangaan and  irrigation system for Tanulong’s rice fields instead of 15 villages as initially planned.

 Among technical inconsistencies, the legislative body noted discrepancies in number of proposed tanks as to identified sites, and utilization instead of more economical and durable materials such as plastic pipes.

 Earlier, a meeting among barangay officials  and residents of  Poblacion  Sagada forwarded their  initiatives to do  the  P36 million  Boasaw water project  instead. They called for redesign and  reestimation of the  project  plan so the project will reach their respective barangays. Baluganbarangay chair John Polon said barangay  constituents can do “galatis” (voluntary work) in the implementation of said project.

Mayor  Latawan  explained in a separate forum  that  plans were changed from an earlier intention to provide water to  Poblacion  and nearby barangays using a two - inch in diameter to  six-inch diameter pipes to  accommodate  the Tanulong  irrigation system thus the  lack of funds to reach  earlier intended beneficiaries.

Other funds shall be sourced out to continue the P36 million where it stopped  in order to reach intended beneficiaries, Latawan said. 

 Vice Mayor Richard Yodong however said change of  two to six inch diameter pipe was not made known to the  legislative body. He aired his reservation that revised estimates  be  reviewed.