Wednesday, August 29, 2007 Lawmaker pushes Baguio hospital flyover completion By Jane Cadalig
BAGUIO City Representative Mauricio Domogan is pushing for the completion of the controversial flyover project at the Baguio General Hospital (BGH) rotunda before the end of this year to save the government from another unusual spending that may be brought about by another delay in the project’s implementation.
"The project must be completed before the year ends," Domogan said, saying that another delay is disadvantageous due to the unpredictable escalation in prices of construction materials.
He assailed the numerous oppositions that caused delays in the implementation of the project in the past years.
"We should learn our lesson from that. If there should have been no opposition, the amount (of P88-million) originally allotted for the project would have been enough,” he said.
Before the elections last May 14, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DRPWH) revealed it needed an additional P64 million to finish the flyover project.
The regional office of the DPWH earlier said the P88 million estimate prepared by the agency for the structures has increased to P180 million due to the delays, aggravated by the rise in the prices of steel and cement.
The estimate for the project was done in 2000 prior to its bidding in 2001. The project was implemented in 2005.
Aside from the P88-million, which was saved from the rehabilitation of the Palispis-Aspiras (formerly Marcos) Highway, the DPWH also allocated P20 million from the national budget to ensure the continuity of the project.
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