BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved a resolution requesting the regional and district offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the City Engineering office (CE) and the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) to strictly implement the pertinent provisions of Ordinance No. 02, series of 2012 entitled “Prohibiting Job Mix Activities on Major Thoroughfares and All Barangay Roads in the City of Baguio as well as the Placing of Cement Batching Stations Therein.” As amended.
The resolution authored by Vice Mayor Edison R. Bilog also requested the concerned government agencies and local government offices to remind contractors and their personnel of the pertinent provisions of the ordinance that should be complied to ensure the cleanliness and orderliness in their project sites and lessen the inconvenience caused by the implementation of the projects to the motoring and commuting public.
`The resolution noted that despite the existence of the ordinance, numerous reports have been brought to the attention of concerned government agencies and local government offices regarding blatant violations of the provisions of the measure by various contractors and their personnel to the prejudice of the motoring and commuting public.
The resolution underscored there is a need to remind all offices supervising the implementation of infrastructure projects that involve job mix activities to compel their contractors and their personnel about the prohibitions of the local government on such activities to ensure cleanliness and orderliness in the project sites.
Earlier, Ordinance No. 02, series of 2012 which prohibits job mix activities on major thoroughfares and all barangay roads in the city as well as the placing of cement batching stations therein was enacted primarily to prevent the unabated use of roads in the mixing of their concrete mix that contribute in impeding the smooth flow of vehicular traffic and create eye sores around the city.
The local legislative measure was amended by Ordinance No. 41, series of 2015 by increasing the penalties for violators of the ordinance but it seems no contractor was ever imposed the prescribed fines considering that the committee tasked to monitor the compliance of the contractors virtually failed to perform their assigned duties and responsibilities.
Local residents and visitors have time and again complained that contractors of on-going construction of roads, drainage systems among other major infrastructure projects often use portions of roads to mix their construction materials which frequently result to monstrous traffic congestions, air and noise nuisances, inconvenience to the motoring and commuting public among others considering that they deprive the people of the smooth flow of pedestrians and motor vehicles as they have occupied the areas supposedly to be used for alternate access.
The ordinance requires contractors to establish their own cement batching stations outside the city and for them to only deliver their respective concrete mix in their project sites only when needed to prevent the conduct of job mix a hindrance to the smooth flow of traffic in the areas where such projects are being implemented and to ensure that the project sites will be free from eye sores that could taint a bad image for the city.
By Dexter A. See
