Right-of-way rifts, tribal war, cement shortage delays P3.3-B road project

BAGUIO CITY – The project director of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s multi-billion State of the Nation Address (SONA) projects in the Cordillera admitted unresolved road-right-of-way claims, tribal conflict between feuding tribes and shortage of cement are delaying completion of the P3.3 billion rehabilitation of the over 100-km Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao road.

While the two SONA projects of the president, the 90-km two-phased Halsema rehabilitation project costing P1.9 billion and the Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao road, are 87 percent done, Roy L. Manao, SONA project director, said efforts are being done to comply with the President’s orders that the projects will be completed by first quarter of this year.

According to Manao, some road-right-of-way claimants along the Bontoc-Lubuagan section of the Bontoc-Tabuk road have refused to give a portion of their properties for the widening of the road because concerned agencies and project implementers cannot provide their enormous payment demands which is in violation to government accounting and auditing rules.

Some portions of the Bontoc-Tabuk road have a width of 2.3 to 2.8 meters which requires widening works to conform with the 6.7 meters minimum width of national roads.

Manao added the tribal conflict between two Kalinga tribes who live along the road line hampered work considering that project engineers are not allowed to go to their designated project sites to monitor the works done by the project implementers.

But Manao revealed some property owners are slowly being convinced by the contractors and the community residents traversed by the road to give a portion of their properties for the benefit of development in their places but there are still individuals who insist on what they want even if their properties are not properly documented.

At the same time, the project director claimed there is a shortage of cement being delivered in the project sites which contributes in the delays.

He said the prevalence of the El Nino phenomenon is working to the advantage of the country’s infrastructure development since project implementers could hasten their work although the drought does not mean good for the agriculture sector due to its multi-billion damages.

Project implementors and concerned agencies have already requested deployment of additional military troops in the different project sites along the Bontoc-Tabuk road to ensure work is not interrupted by unscrupulous individuals who want to advance their own personal interests.

The military will ensure that project engineers and employees could freely visit the projects without being harassed or intimidated by warring tribes in the area.

If the factors contributing to the delays of the completion of the works along the Bontoc-Tabuk road continue, Manao said it is safe to say that it will be completed by June this year. – Dexter A. See