SABLAN, Benguet – The municipal government and concerned barangay officials and residents criticized the contractors of a multi-million road project in Barangay Kamog for their alleged inability to complete the programmed works on time to avoid exposing people to danger, especially those passing through the project site.
Earlier, Kamog punong barangay Patrick C. Lete, Sr. brought to the attention of the municipal government the complaint and dismay of the people over the performance of the FIAT Construction Services/KVC Construction on their snail-paced work on the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) development project in their barangay, particularly the construction of missing links/new roads, LISTT, Kamog Junction-Calot-Pappa-Bagong-Balluay-Tuel junction section 2 of the BLISTT outer ring circumferential road.
He narrated that on May 23, 2022, he sent a letter to the previous administration of the municipal government requesting for help to fastrack the development and completion of the project. Subsequently, the municipal government sent an inspectorate team to assess the aforesaid project.
Ironically, the punong barangay allegedly that the contractor did not respond to the recommendations from the tram and is continuously mum on the clamor of the people to improve its performance and fastrack ongoing works in the project site.
The barangay official claimed that the implementation of the project started on July 19, 2021 and was set to be completed on July 19, 2022 but to date, the contractor was not able to complete the same and cannot allegedly complete the project the soonest.
According to him, the scrapped, widened and excavated portions of the road have been allegedly left unfinished and still not provided with the appropriate slope protection that now poses so much danger to the people of the barangay.
In an inspection report dated August 1, 2022, personnel of the municipal engineering office found out that there were several landslides along the said road that could lead to the eventual destruction of the existing or newly constructed riprap retaining wall and existing or newly developed roads in the area.
Further, the team found out that there were also boulders, gravel and bunch of mud that are obstructing some portions of the road.
On the other hand, the team claimed that portions of the aforesaid road are no longer passable due to soil erosion and cracked road pavement aside from the fact that electric poles in the area are likely to fall due to possible soil erosions in the future.
During the inspection, the members of the team observed that there were no workers as well as supervising engineers on the project site as well as project managers who were supposed to spearhead the completion and implementation of the project.
Based on these findings, the team pointed out that portions of the said road are no longer safe for motorists and passersby.
The team recommended that the management of FIAT Construction Services/KVC Construction should clear that stretch of the road immediately and fastrack the ongoing project, especially along the identified critical areas to avoid danger and further damage along the said roads.
