BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan expressed disappointment over the way contractors of multi-million infrastructure projects are handling the implementation of their awarded projects, saying that project implementors seem not to give utmost value to the convenience of the motoring and commuting public in the way they work.
The local chief executive disclosed amidst a series of meetings with concerned government agency officials and the contractors, the previous agreements for them to work on 24/7 basis, the assignment of sufficient flagmen and the close coordination with concerned agencies and departments for the smooth traffic law are not being complied with thereby resulting to tremendous traffic jams within the project areas.
“We observed that despite our agreements, the conditions are not being complied by the contractors that is why the convenience of the public is being compromised,” Domogan stressed.
He revealed contractors that should be awarded projects within the central business district area must be competent project implementors who are committed to work round the clock in order to lessen the inconvenience of the public.
Furthermore, he cited DPWH technical personnel must closely supervise the projects implemented in the city so that contractors who dig up the concrete pavements must already work on the laying of the base, putting in place of appropriate volume of aggregates for the pouring of the required volume of concrete mix.
In the case of the delayed project implementation along Rimando road after most of the road sections have been dug up, the city mayor emphasized DPWH personnel should not allow contractors to dig up the road if there are issues and concerns that have yet to be addressed in relation to previous works that have yet to be addressed by the agency.
According to him, contractors who are awarded projects must be mindful of the welfare of the people so that they will not be snail-paced in the implementation of their awarded project, especially in roads with heavy flow of traffic.
Ironically, he agreed to observations that were brought to his attention that there are a few contractors who were able to complete their first batch of awarded projects and are now on the verge of completing their second batch of projects but there are many contractors who have yet to go halfway in their first wave of awarded infrastructure works.
He said there is no problem for the contractors to implement their awarded projects during the dry season to take advantage of the summer months for them to be able to work well but it should not be an excuse for them to work at their own pace thereby compromising the welfare of the motoring and commuting public.
Domogan urged the DPWH to consider the lessons learned by the agency in the implementation of their projects this year to ensure that the future implementation of future infrastructure projects in order to lessen the traffic congestions that pose a serious threat to to the safety of life and limb.
He appealed to local residents and visitors to give the contractors a fair chance to show their performance in the implementation of their works so that they will be able to come out with reasonable conclusions on how projects are being implemented in the city over the past several month and compare the same to the future implementation of works. By Dexter A. See