Thursday, August 09, 2007 Lot owner tells City Council skywalk blocks private land
THE Cebu City Council yesterday asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to suspend the construction of a skywalk in Barangay Day-as.
A resident has sought the council’s help because the skywalk, which is located right in front of her gate, would constrict their access to the street.
“The construction of two skywalk staircases in front of the gate of my house will greatly disturb my day-to-day existence, including (that of) my boarders, since the same would constrict our safe passage into the street,” said Nida Gomez, whose house sits at the corner of Sikatuna and Imus Sts.
The DPWH’s alleged failure to consider Gomez’s situation isn’t the only complaint against the agency that has reached City Hall’s attention lately. Another one concerns delays in the repair of street lamps.
“God forbid, if an emergency situation erupts, my family and other occupants of my house will definitely find it hard to squeeze out into the street, especially at night,” Gomez said.
She asked that only one skywalk staircase be built by the side of the street where her house is situated, so that their safety and convenience would not be sacrificed.
The request was contained in a letter addressed to Vice Mayor Michael Rama.
Congress
In its regular session yesterday, the City Council asked DPWH for a copy of the skywalk’s design, and for the City Office of the Building Official (OBO) and City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) to make a report on the construction.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo said no building permit was secured before work started. That earned him praise from Rama.
Without naming who he was referring to, Rama said that “speaking out on what we believe has to be told should not be misinterpreted as being an obstructionist.”
The vice mayor added that that DPWH is “into it again,” and wondered if the agency is implementing projects without approval from the local government only in Cebu City, or if that has always been its practice all over the country.
“Maybe we should bring this also to Congress…. Is DPWH exempted in (securing) the building permit?” he said.
Gomez’s son, Rogelio Hisoler Jr., told the council yesterday that it was a surprise to them last July 23 when DPWH personnel sprayed paint on the sidewalk by their gate to mark the foundation for the skywalk.
He lamented that DPWH did not even have the courtesy to inform them what was going on, prompting Rama to comment that construction came “like a thief in the night.”
Headache
Meanwhile, damaged lighting facilities in Cebu City, including those in the South Road Properties (SRP), are giving Mayor Tomas Osmeña a headache.
Osmeña said he wants to repair the vandalized lampposts at the SRP and Salinas Drive to prevent further damage but he cannot do so because the contractors have not turned these over to the DPWH yet.
If damage to the decorative streetlamps that were installed for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit is too much, the Cebu City Government will opt not to take over the maintenance of the lighting facilities.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez is seeking a joint inventory of all decorative lamps in the city by DPWH and personnel from the City’s Department of Engineering and Public Works.
At the South Coastal Road within the SRP, the bulbs of some 40 of the close to 100 lampposts along the highway are already busted.
Ombudsman
Three lampposts along the viaduct leading to the SRP are missing. Although President Arroyo already asked DPWH to work on the P7-million repair, the agency cannot do so because the contractor has not turned over the lamps to them.
Much as he wants to replace the busted bulbs, Osmeña said he cannot do so because it cannot be opened due to the corroded screws left embedded in the bulb casing.
The decorative lamps along Salinas Drive will also have to be checked before the City takes over its maintenance, he said.
“I will let the ombudsman finish their investigation before we take over. But I’m already on the verge of swiping one of the lamps and dissecting its parts and change all the internal parts so it uses less energy and lasts longer,” Osmeña told reporters yesterday.
He said he will no longer push through with his plan to buy 10 of the same units to compare it with those that the City bought for Osmeña Blvd., and to prove that DPWH’s purchase is overpriced and of inferior quality.
If vandals can steal the lampposts, the City will also just “kidnap” one lamp so it can study its specs more closely, the mayor said in jest.
In an interview yesterday, Fernandez said he asked DPWH for a joint inventory of all lamps installed along Salinas and S. Osmeña Blvd. before the City enters into a tripartite agreement with DPWH and the contractor of the lamps, Gampik and Fabmik Construction.
“Even if that project is anomalous, we believe it is still of value and we can use it. But if the lamps’ condition is so bad and it’s no longer of value, then why should we take over?” he said. (RHM/LCR)
