BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH-CAR) explained that the use of the so-called instapave in the implementation of asphalt overlay on roads in the different parts of the region has been allowed by the agency because it is suitable to the prevailing situation.
DPWH-CAR planning division head Engr. Angelita Mabitasan claimed there is no truth to the allegations that they are implementing asphalt overlay projects with the use of instapave or cold asphalt during the rainy season because it is not the approved plan and procedure to implement such work.
Further, she claimed that cold asphalt is the one appropriate for the prevailing weather condition, especially in Baguio City, Benguet and some parts of Ifugao which are highly elevated areas.
On the allegation that the implementation of the asphalt overlay project during the rainy season, the DPWH-CAR official stipulated that there is a process being strictly observed in the implementation of all infrastructure projects that passes through the required public bidding.
According to her, the projects cannot be immediately awarded to the winning contractors without the funds earmarked for them that is why the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) and the corresponding Notice of Cash Allocation (NCA) for such projects have to be prepared to ensure that the contractors will be paid.
She stipulated that the cold asphalt is preferred to be used in the asphalt overlay projects in areas with cool weather condition while the host asphalt is the one that is used in similar projects in hot places.
She appealed to the public for their understanding on the implementation of various infrastructure projects under the auspices of the agency because there are established procedures and processes in the identification of the projects that will be funded aside from the fact that there is a need for the agency to comply with the conduct of the required public bidding to ascertain the winning contractor who will implement the said projects.
According to her, the agency must comply with the established procedures and processes in the conceptualization, planning, implementation and monitoring of the infrastructure projects because they will be the ones that will be made liable for such lapses that may transpire in the course of the project implementation.
The DPWH-CAR planning head asserted that the identification and selection of projects to be funded by the agency will have to pass through certain processes aside from the complying with department orders governing these that is why officials could not easily handpick the projects of their choice that will be provided with funding since these must pass through the prescribed selection criteria and not just simply because it is the demand of local governments.
She expressed hope that the public will understand the situation that the agency is facing in the implementation of infrastructure projects because there are established guidelines, rules and regulations governing the same.