Road blues once more with feelings

BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P. Dizon

BAGUIO CITY -- This monster called “preventive maintenance” by the Department of Public Works and Highways has gone far enough and basing from tirades of people here and in the nearby La Trinidad town of Benguet in the media, they want heads to roll.

Nowadays, it takes two to three hours to commute from La Trinidad to Baguio as a result of the botched road asphalting from km 4 to 3 and the ongoing road repair from Pines Hospital to the Camdas intersection.

A lot of public utility jeeps have stopped plying their trade as a result and Tabora Park (which is not actually a park) but a jeep terminal of La Trinidad jeeps is now usually empty and commuters have to wait for the handful of PUJs which dutifully wait for passengers there.

La Trinidad mayor Greg Abalos told a media interview he had written PWH Sec. Rogelio Singson to do something about the situation but the latter has still to reply.

Abalos explained that the La Trinidad local government had nothing to do with the situation since the Halsema Highway is a national road and the DPWH just informs them if they intend to do a project over such roads.

The mayor said he also wrote the contractor to hasten the project but there was also no response. As of this time, the contractor was seemingly taking his own sweet time to finish the project as only a few workers were there. Meanwhile, all the rah-rah boys of the DPWH could only say was that the agency was doing the projects as part of “preventive maintenance.”

In Baguio, when the road projects would finally be done is still a question. These include the Loakan, Naguillan and Aurora Hill projects. People have repeatedly asked why these good cemented roads were torn to be cemented once again. All these DWPWH officials could say was that these projects were “preprogrammed” and covered under “road preventive maintenance.”

Maybe somebody should tell P-Noy, Singson and their drumbeaters that the administration’s “tuwid na daan” policy had actually become “sirang daan” policy due to misguided programs like those of the DPWH. “Preventive maintenance” projects are happening all over the country wherein roads in good condition are being torn to be replaced with the same mixture.

I was in Isabela on Tuesday and saw the same situation in Ramon town where half of the well-paved road was being demolished to be redone. Asiong Aksaya came to mind, that comics strip character who only knows how to do things in excess.

I actually came from Paracelis, Mountain Province where I saw the decrepit dirt roads in the town. Funds for road maintenance could actually have been used to concretize roads which needed more attention like those in Paracelis.

Maybe P-Noy still doesn’t know it, or is being given the wrong information by DPWH undertakers so they could earn more commissions from these projects. Come to think of it, the money used for these useless and extravagant road projects could have been put to better use like those on livelihood.

Taxpayers’ money should be used judiciously all the time. Often, we hear of DPWH officials saying they are just implementing pre-programmed projects. It is high time, the top honchos of this government agency should not recommend oir approve useless projects and stop these if they can put their integrity ahead of their greed.

Nevermind if the project allocation reverts back to the national treasury where it could be programmed and put to better use for the benefit of the greater majority.