BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan called on the public works department and their commissioned contractors to temporarily suspend the implementation of various road improvement projects along national roads in the city during the Holy Week break so as not to create inconvenience among local residents and visitors wanting to peacefully remember the suffering of Christ.
However, the local chief executive said that before suspending their projects, contractors must make sure that their projects will be free from obstacles and debris that would contribute to the worsening traffic congestion around the city during the expected influx of foreign and domestic tourists wanting to spend a break in the city and escape from the scorching heat of the lowlands.
“Let us join the Christendom in remembering the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ by providing convenience to our motoring and commuting public by temporarily suspending on-going infrastructure projects along national roads,” Domogan stressed.
IN order to prevent repeated diggings along national roads which were earlier concreted, the city mayor underscored the importance of holistic planning so that the implemented projects will include the installation of appropriate drainage systems and slope protection walls that will save the unnecessary spending of public funds for the repeated destruction of major national roads causing inconvenience to the public.
According to him, the public is now fed up on the repeated diggings along roads that were previously paved and again dug up due to the need of installing the drainage systems which were supposed to have been done in the past prior to rehabilitation and upgrading works.
He said implementing agencies could not avoid the conclusion of the public that the on-going infrastructure works along national roads is just a waste of public funds because the roads were earlier concreted but are now being dug up because of the need to install drainage systems to prevent floodings during the rainy season and to provide added outlet for water flowing into the pavement.
Domogan cited the consistent remarks of the people against the on-going rehabilitation and upgrading of national roads are mostly valid because they are the ones that witness the daily activities of contractors and were able to see that the roads were dug up previously and then concreted before again being dug up.
The city mayor called on the public works department to heed the call of the people to first conduct a holistic planning on how to program priority projects along national roads, particularly the installation of drainages, put up of slope protection walls among other interventions prior to the concreting of the pavements so that there will be lesser inconvenience to the public and projects could be done in a staggered basis without affecting the smooth flow of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Domogan claimed he supports the implementation of major infrastructure projects along national roads but it must be properly done in order to prevent the public from suffering continuous inconvenience that would affect their daily routine in life.
By Dexter A. See
