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Saturday, December 13, 2003
Right of way stalls South road
By Jasmine G. Suma-oy
Of Sun.Star Cebu
TRIPARTITE councils will be created to meet with affected lot owners and speed up the processing of road right-of-way (RROW) acquisitions for the Cebu South Road Improvement Project.
In a briefing yesterday, the Aboitiz Construction Group Inc. (ACGI), the contractor of the project, explained that RROW problems are the major cause of the delay in the completion of the project.
Rep. Jose Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) asked the contractor for an update on the project, following several complaints from the public inconvenienced by the traffic snarls because of the ongoing works.
The mayors and chiefs of police of Talisay City and the municipalities of Minglanilla, Naga, San Fernando and Carcar also attended yesterday’s briefing at the Cebu Country Club in Banilad.
ACGI, and its partner Kumagai-Gumi Co. Ltd., under Contract Package (CP) 1, is scheduled to complete the four-lane, 11.65-kilometer stretch from Talisay City to Naga in January 2005.
Its CP 2, which is the two-lane, 18-kilometer road from Tinaan, Naga to Carcar, is scheduled to be completed in October 2004.
But time extension would be very likely, because of the still unavailable RROW in Pingan, Pakigne and Abuno Bridges, said ACGI.
Roberto Aboitiz, ACGI chairman and chief executive officer, then suggested the creation of councils composed of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the contractor and local government officials, to hold monthly meetings to accelerate the completion of the project.
Municipal mayors were given the list of the affected properties so they could assist DPWH in the acquisition of these lots for the project.
In his briefing, Antonio Lozada, ACGI president and chief operating officer, revealed that out of the 11.6-kilometer properties with unresolved RROW problems, only 300 meters have been cleared.
This is why that they have been doing a “guerilla-type of work” or going “back and forth,” he said.
Congressman Gullas, for his part, said they will have to finish the dialogue in the different affected municipalities by February next year.
After which, they will see the DPWH secretary and President Arroyo, whom they will ask to help give a more competitive price to the property owners so they would give up their properties.
Though some of the mayors of the affected municipalities belong to his rival political party, Gullas is optimistic they would still cooperate with the project.
“We’re elected to serve the people and not our personal interests,” he said.
ACGI has asked the assistance of the mayors, municipal engineers and planning officers to help talk with the lot owners, who are now stalling the works for the project.
The chiefs of police were also tapped to help manage the traffic.
Mayor Gullas said the mayors and chiefs of police could help by assigning men in uniform to help manage the traffic. Right now, only tanods are manning the traffic.
He also suggested that the contractor’s work could be fast-tracked by creating a diversionary road from Tungkop, Minglanilla so that the Poblacion, where the concentration of work is now located, would be free of traffic.
The heavy truckers association and the tourism bus association have agreed to cooperate with a truck ban during certain hours.
Mayor Gullas said the commuters who are stranded in traffic for long hours have all the right to gripe.
However, he said, he is hoping the people would not be short-sighted and would realize that the Cebu south road project, once completed, will become a very important highway serving not only southern Cebu but also the provinces of Bohol and Negros.
He said he labored so much since 1992 so the project would be included in the 22nd Yen Loan Package of the National Government. He pointed out that the local government units are not spending a single cent for the project.
The Cebu South Road Improvement Project, according to Lozada, will be like a boulevard.
There will be a drainage system and sidewalk on both sides, and lampposts will be installed at 40-meter intervals. There will also be trees planted along the road.
He also assured that the century-old acacia trees lining the road from Naga to Carcar will not be cut down.
(December 13, 2003 issue)
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