ATOK, Benguet– Anti-corruption advocates brought to the attention of Public Works Secretary Mark Villar the alleged substandard, defective and anomalous road re-blocking projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) along the Halsema highway, particularly before the Saddle area, which incurred blatant defects amidst having just been completed.
In his letter to Secretary Villar, Salvador Liked, a member of the Cordillera Corruption Watch, stated the re-blocking project which was undertaken by Jomarcan Construction suffered blatant defects which are not actually a product of natural calamities considering that 4 sections of the newly completed concrete pavements were allegedly destroyed and were actually subjected to repair but the cracks on the concreted areas are now evident that clearly indicates the poor workmanship of the multi-million project.
Liked recommended the conduct of coring tests on the defective pavements to ascertain whether or not the materials used were in accordance with project standards and specifications.
He also recommended the conduct of an investigation on the defective projects which had been repeatedly repaired over the past several weeks which now casts doubts on the quality of infrastructure projects being implemented by the agency in the different parts of the country.
The questioned multi-million project has been the subject of criticisms by the motoring public because of the snail-paced implementation by the contractor that resulted to serious delays in the travel of motorists along the region’s major roadline.
The project which was denominated as rehabilitation, reconstruction, road upgrading of damaged paved national roads, including drainage based on pavement management system or highway and development encompasses road widening works, slope protection works, concrete curb and gutter, concrete pavement with widening on shoulders and the questioned 4 blocks is part of the assailed project.
It was recorded that the questioned road section was already reblocked with 3.35 meters’ width and 28 centimeters thick conforming to pavement management system or high and development standards during the actual field verification of concerned DPWH personnel.
The Cordillera office of the DPWH has already recorded the stationing of the said questioned road section to which it will not be subjected for payment unless test results, such as coring test and sub-base course thickness determination, will certify conformity to standards and specifications.
DPWH-CAR officials claimed the contractor agreed that in case various tests show non-conformity to project standards and specifications, then they will voluntarily remove and replace the questioned road section at their own expense.
Liked challenged the public to be vigilant on the quality of the projects being implemented in their places by immediately reporting to the concerned government agencies the identified problems of the projects undertaken by contractors so that corrective measures could be ordered the soonest and save public funds in the prosecution of projects and for the infrastructure projects to last their prescribed economic life.
By HENT