Sagada road works defective; contractor urged to comply

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE - Remove and replace road works along the Dantay –Sagada road await completion with construction companies not having fully complied with instructions of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to replace defective road works to ensure quality construction along the span of the national road.

Assistant Engr Frank Jose of the quality assurance section of the Mountain Province District Engineering office (MPDEO) said KVC construction has not initiated any road repairs along the stretch of a 17 million project along said national road despite instructions.

Despite uncorrected road defects, Benguet-based KVC is currently doing another  7 million peso project constructing a gabion below the road after Dapdapanan sitio along with widening works to be finished before the year ends.     

The 82 million works on upgrading and rehabilitation of  road sections spanning some 4 kilometres of road length from the regular funds of the MPDEO have been programmed since 2011 and contracted by 3 construction companies including Baguio-based BLC construction.  A total of 181 million have already been  programmed and contracted out to cover a 9 kilometer section of the total 13 kilometer Dantay-Sagada road since 2010.

An initial 48 million peso joint venture contract after the Dantay junction was worked on by BMK-ETLatawan Construction in 2011. ET Latawan Construction registered in the name of Engineer Eduardo Latawan Jr,  the current mayor of the town since 2007 is now represented by  his wife Felicitas  Latawan as  the registered contractor.

Tarlac-based BMK construction has already performed some 100 meters of remove and replace works along intermittent road sections including the application of epoxy on some cracks on the pavement on its 28 million peso project with the DPWH.

Asked why the intermittence of road sections requiring remove and replace methods,  Jose said  this must have been due to  uneven  application of water  to a mix with cement or there must have been a pouring of  rain on the constructed pavements further saying the defects  are 60%  of human error and negligence rather than natural causes.

Construction companies are the ones responsible to apply remove and replace works on their contracted projects and the expense taken from the contract cost.  KVC and BMK construction have not fully collected the contract cost from DPWH pending remove and replace works.

BLC construction which worked on a 37 million peso project on a 2 kilometer span of the road have  fully  performed  remove and replace  works covering some 80 meters along some sections of  said road, Jose  said.

Assistant District Engineer Charles Sokoken said validation of the already done replacement works shall be conducted by the regional DPWH office.

In the same development, the  PhP7 million project covering  some 280 meters  from Dapdapanan sitio to the  water-drenched  and curved section face road –right- of way  issues  with the owners of  adjacent  lots demanding  slopes  to be  stonewalled.

Programmed to be finished December this year, the road section underwent an earlier 5 million peso contract with a gabion constructed below the road with cost from the maintenance funds of MPDEO.

BLC Construction is currently doing a 34 million peso road  project with  DPWH along the main Antadao road.  

An earlier work done along the sinking road section in Antadao shall be worked on in another project by a separate construction company.  

Meantime, a 7 million peso rehabilitation project is currently being worked on by Bentrix construction involving the blasting of limestone rocks along the road in Antadao covered by a certificate of non coverage (CNC) issued by the regional Environment and Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) with instruction that said road work “shall not exempt the grantee (MPDEO) from compliance with applicable environmental laws.”