DAVAO City councilors voiced their road-related grievances to the Department of Public Works and Highways-Davao Region (DPWH-Davao) on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, during the 10th regular session of the 20th City Council.
Councilor Temujin “Tek” Ocampo, chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, expressed frustration over traffic congestion near the construction site of a flyover in Maa. He emphasized the need for coordination with the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) to mitigate congestion caused by the closure of the northbound lane.
This prompted Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte to issue a statement directed at DPWH-Davao. He emphasized the importance of the department obtaining necessary permits before undertaking any activity that could disrupt road conditions in the city.
“Ang kapangit man gyud dili siya mu-reflect sa inyuha, sa LGU gyud siya mu-reflect. Nadamay gyud mi ba, mao gyud ni siya pandamay gyud mo. I pray and hope that these things will be corrected (The unfortunate part is that the blame won't fall on you [referring to DPWH-Davao]; it will reflect on the LGU. We end up being implicated. I pray and hope these issues will be addressed),” the mayor said.
Councilor Conrado Baloran reported that during the Araw ng Lamanan, Mayor Duterte observed excavations on roads in Mintal-Tugbok, causing traffic despite the roads being in good condition. He stressed the need for proper road closure procedures to prevent such incidents.
DPWH assured that they conduct thorough investigations to determine road conditions and monitor their usability.
“The one who deconstructed the road did not secure [any] road closure, so it created traffic, so I think it’s good that it happened because from now on, we will not allow DPWH to excavate or whatever they will do to the good roads,” he said.
Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain, Jr. expressed dissatisfaction with DPWH-Davao's presentation duration, echoed by Councilors Nilo "Small" Abellera Jr. and Jesus Joseph Zozobrado. Consequently, the 20th City Council scheduled another session with DPWH-Davao on Friday, March 22, 2024, for a more comprehensive presentation and to address council concerns. RGP
Related stories:
