Contractor paid despite unfinished Sagada road

No FPIC, lot owners unpaid, sacred grounds violated 

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province – Tribal folk of this tourist town assailed construction of a P7.8 million farm-to-market road here to the famous Bomod-ok Falls here which passes through a “patpatayan” (sacred grounds) even as owners of lots wherein the road will be constructed were not consulted or compensated.  

Obviously a waste of public funds  

They said the contractor for the unfinished 800-meter Pide-Fidelisan farm to market road project has collected already 70 percent of its P7.8 million budget cost despite the  fact that only 15 percent of the road opening and concreting works were done

This amidst, questions on lack of free prior and informed consent (FPIC) from residents of  Pide where the FMR connects  Pide road designed to end at Fidelisan.

Pide barangay kagawad Rose Copaos said she was surprised when the road work was done at a time when people were out working in the fields.

“Inbaga mi ay enda ila-en nan akin kwa isnan um-a ay dalapusen di kalsa, ngem kanega egay da samet  inmey”,  (We told them to talk to the lot owners whose lands shall be affected but apparently they did not.), Copaos said, referring to the contractor, 

Pide Barangay Philipp Baguiwet added people of  Pide did not want the project as it shall cross over the “patpatayan.”   

Fidelisan barangay captain Jojo Briones said  Fidelisan folks are looking for another route for the road to reach  the barangay.

It takes some 30 minutes by foot to reach Fidelisan from Pide or from the upper barangay at Bangaan.

Fidelisan is where the popular  Bumodok Falls visited by  tourists is located.

Copaos said people from Pide were not contesting the FMR but suggested that another route be identified in said project.

Contractor  Rhob Construction and Engineering Services  based in  San Vicente Baguio City was awarded  as winning bidder December 2013.

The project had a 217-day duration out from the P7.8 million budget cost,  from  the Department of Agriculture through then  regional director  Marilyn Sta Catalina. 

Project funds were sourced from the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program of the Office of the Presidential Assistant on Peace Process (OPAPP)

Former mayor Eduardo Latawan asked Fidelisan to have  the rest of the project funds be channelled for construction of the parapet on the already finished Pide road but they protested this.