BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan challenged officials of the regional and district offices of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to award the implementation of future public works projects to qualified and competent contractors who are willing to work round the clock to lessen the inconvenience to the motoring and commuting public.
The local chief executive cited that even if local officials have no direct hand in the implementation of public works projects along national roads, people still believe that they are involved in the prosecution of projects and are always criticized for doing nothing, especially in disciplining erring contractors who refuse to adhere to proper work ethics.
“We are wondering why public works contractors who lack the financial and technical capabilities are still awa4rded projects in the central business district area which is now the major cause of tremendous traffic congestions that earned the ire of the people,” Domogan stressed.
Despite the conduct of a series of meetings with the contractors who were earlier awarded projects for them to devise appropriate ways and means to ease the traffic congestions, Domogan expressed disappointment over the hard headedness of the contractors who refuse to listen to suggestions because they are primarily interested in ensuring profit on their works instead of providing convenience to the public.
According to him, some contractors go to the extent of significantly lowering their bid on projects just for them to get the award but when it comes to the period of implementation, they have no adequate units of equipment and personnel to prosecute their projects and that they rely on their collections to bankroll their operations which is now the cause of delay of their projects and the subsequent inconvenience to the public.
Domogan pointed out public works officials and contractors should understand that the luckluster performance of contractors reflects on the type of leadership of the agency that is why stakeholders must be actively involved in the pinpointing of qualified public works contractors for future multi-million projects to be implemented in the city.
He said no matter how clear our explanations to our people regarding the implementation of projects are, they refuse to adhere to our justifications because the contractors refuse to abide by what was agreed upon, particularly for them to work round the clock, designate sufficient flagmen in their project sites during rush hours, install appropriate guiding signages among others.
Under existing rules and regulations, DPWH is tasked to implement public works projects along national roads while local governments are mandated to prosecute infrastructure projects in local roads.
The city mayor called on the bids and awards committee of the DPWH to strictly apply the appropriate lawful provisions in the screening of qualified contractors so that those deserving project implementors will be the ones to be awarded projects and not those contractors who are used to borrowing units of equipment and do not have the sufficient manpower and capital to implement their works.
By Dexter A. See
