Special courts to hear right-of-way cases sought

ROAD TO THE NORTH. While the Cansaga Bridge was built as an alternate route to decongest traffic along the main highway, the road beyond it has not been completely widened, causing heavy traffic. (SunStar photo / Allan Cuizon)
ROAD TO THE NORTH. While the Cansaga Bridge was built as an alternate route to decongest traffic along the main highway, the road beyond it has not been completely widened, causing heavy traffic. (SunStar photo / Allan Cuizon)

THE outgoing chairman of the Regional Development Council’s Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) wants the Supreme Court to create special courts to handle expropriation proceedings to speed up the implementation of government projects.

Glenn Anthony Soco presided over his last meeting on May 31, 2019. He will assume as Cebu Provincial Board member noon of June 30.

Soco said it is unfortunate that the widening of the road from Cansaga Bridge to Liloan, Cebu, which cover Barangays Tayud, Consolacion and Tayud, Liloan, have not yet been completed since the project started in 2010 because of road right-of-way issues.

“It’s been more than 10 years, and the widening is far from being completed. It’s only 6.5 kilometers in length. Some of the components of the road widening project were already terminated because the contractors could not continue with the civil works due to the lack of right-of-way,” Soco said.

Due to incomplete widening, it is an inconvenience to motorists and residents because heavy traffic is experienced even on Sundays, Soco said.

Soco cited the newly enacted Right-of-Way Act or Republic Act 10752, which facilitates the acquisition of right-of-way site or location for National Government infrastructure projects. He said the law ensures that no person is deprived of his property without just compensation.

This is why the IDC secretariat will come up with a request for the Supreme Court to open special courts for right-of-way cases, and for President Rodrigo Duterte to intervene.

“There’s a need to immediately finish the road widening of that road because it can definitely ease the traffic in going to northern Cebu and vice versa, and will complement the coming Cebu International Container Port,” Soco said.

Soco also saw the same problem for the widening of Hernan Cortes St. in Mandaue City, a critical road that runs parallel to the Banilad-Talamban Road.

Earlier, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 Director Edgar Tabacon said some contractors have given up on projects due to road right-of-way issues.

“This is why we focus first on the right of way before allocating funds for the civil works of projects,” Tabacon said.

Tabacon cited the Guadalupe-Lahug Road in Cebu City and the Talisay-Minglanilla-Naga (Tamina) Road, which both have right-of-way problems.

“We tried to include both projects in the 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA), but they had to focus first on the settlement of right-of-way before the civil works. We can do nothing if we will first allocate funds for civil works when the right-of-way has not been settled,” Tabacon said.

He said that most of the road projects in the urban areas have bigger fund allocations for right-of-way than its civil works, especially in the Guadalupe-Lahug Road.

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