P88M Subang Daku Bridge Construction For Completion in September

April 18,2012

P88M Subang Daku Bridge Construction For Completion In September
By Quirico M.Gorpido,Jr

Sogod, Southern Leyte-The P88M Subang Daku bridge construction, including the P40M 1.7 kms road concerting, which provides the shortcut trip to the 7-kilometer distance down to the Maharlika Highway, shall be completed on September 30, 2012 as per contract schedule.

This was the disclosure of Assistant District Engr. Manolo Rojas in an interview with the media at the Subang Daku Bridge during the recent media tour visiting all existing undergoing projects of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways.

Rojas revealed that the contractor of the 136.20 linear meter bridge AC Rivero has already installed the 100% substructures of the bridge. It has to be followed by the installation of the super-structures and other related works until the end of September of the current year.

Queried on the schedules written on the projects standard boards among its contractors of the DPWH,the implementing agency of infra projects in the province of Southern Leyte,District Engr. Carlos Veloso confided that mostly contractors have to do their best to comply with the deadline for completion since liquidating damages would be imposed on them for the delay.

“If there’s heavy rains or typhoon a contractor or contractors will send us letters asking for the extension of the projects’ deadline due to the bad weather condition”,Veloso informed, adding that most of them would finished their respective projects before the set deadline.

Project Costs
The P8,495,550.00 Cabulihan road concreting, that the group have visited earlier, carried out by the Square Cube Construction covering 2.5 kms length, was already completed. Both sides of the one-lane standard road has a 1.5 meters shoulder, which according to Engr. Vicent Sy, can be converted into a two-lane road when many vehicles would be passing in the near future.

In a presscon held at the Agas-Agas building, Engr Rojas divulged that as Chairman Committee on Infrastructures Congressman Roger Mercado is bent on making the construction of Guadalupe port realized in not a distant future. Last year the Guadalupe port was supposed to be constructed at the soonest time possible, about one or two months later. However, for some reasons that only the Congressman could say, the project did not materialized.

He claimed that the Guadalupe port will make a shorter travel time of one hour less to Cebu City as compared to Bato or Hilongos which would take 4 to 4.5 hours to reach the port of Cebu.He said that this was the findings of overseas skipper Jun Sabalo of the same barangay.

Gabion Walls
In brgy. Lipanto, St.Bernard a P7M gabion walls was constructed to protect the road from possible erosion or landslide during heavy rains. Engr. Sy said that this kind of protection project is more suitable in landslide-prone areas. It would allow big volumes of rainwater to pass through layers of stones. “Unlike in concreted walls, volumes of water will cause it to burst and will easily damaged”, he said.

Some culverts were also seen around the national road indicating that these are going to be buried along the mountain base to allow the flowing waters from above to flow freely.

Another application of the three-tier gabion structures was also seen in the P19, 735,000.00 river control project of the Lawigan River adjacent to Guinsaugon,a farming village that was buried in just a few minutes by a massive mudslide on Feb. 17,2006 at about 11:00 a.m.Some of the school children and teachers were among those who were buried alive on that traumatic tragedy. Only very few inhabitants were able to escape death during that unforgettable catastrophic event: those who have heard inner voices instructing them to run away; those who were out of Guinsaugon working in various places of Mindanao,Cebu and Metro Manila; and those who were already in other barangays or at the school attending classes in St.Bernard town.
“The main purpose for the construction of the river control projects Sy said, “is to protect the existing several hectares of rice fields and the two big school buildings nearby”.

The aforesaid river control projects have a length of 560 meters. Another similar three-tier structures located farther away has a span of 94 meters worth P2M.Engr.Veloso revealed that the construction of the gabion walls cost P1,000.00 per cubic meter.

Rojas also informed that gabion walls structures are suitable in areas where the foundation base in unstable. Unlike in concrete walling which are prone to bursting when battered by huge volumes of rain waters.

“In gabion structures, volumes of water will pass through layers of stones and it’s flexible even if in case the structures will sink”, Rojas also explained.

Saddle Road Status
Asked by a broadcast journalist on the status of the so-called “saddle road” curved along a steep cliff leading to San Ricardo which is potentially dangerous to both the bus and its passengers. Its defense structures along the cliff are quite unreliable.

Rojas replied saying that his office has sent resolution to Malacañang regarding the condition of the said road. He said that DPWH Manila has found saddle road condition as
to be of necessity for improvement. This is to provide protection among travelers to the place.

He intimated that DPWH main office thru its Secretary Rogelio Singson has approved its regular infra budget of P700M including the saddle road improvements.

The DPWH official also stated that Congressman Mercado is determined and consistent in his desire that San Rafael-Bontoc road concreting would be completed. The road upon completion will serve the Maasin farmers in bringing their products to Sogod town and vice versa in shorter travel time. He said that a fund of P6M was allocated for the first phase.

Transparency
In an answer to a query, Engr. Veloso clarified that the purpose of conducting a media tour, which is on its second year, is to implement DPWH policy of transparency under the new Administration. This means that the media and other stakeholders can report to DPWH office any defect or damaged that they’ve seen on its infra projects anywhere in the entire province

He implied that the media can even make constructive criticism when necessary just to make a DPWH concerned official act quickly on his responsibility to the traveling public.

When asked who are those considered as stakeholders, Engr. Rojas said that it includes the bus drivers, motorists, pedestrians, commuters, vehicle owners/operators, tourists, farmers and other individuals.

On the other hand, DPWH’s biddings on its current 25 projects in the province are now electronically done, Rojas pointed out. He stressed that now there’s no limit on the application of bidders to participate on the bidding process. “A bidder can send letter of application even on the last day of schedule for the bidding of projects”, he clarified.

Rojas also said that representatives from different sectors can openly attend during the actual bidding of projects at the DPWH office at the Capitol Site compound in Maasin; or at the designated venue that the office has chosen.(Quirico M.Gorpido,Jr.)

Congressman Mercado Plans To Convert Libas Into A Municipality

Feb. 14,2012


Mercado Plans To Convert Libas Into A Municipality
By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Congressman Roger Mercado has a visionary plan to convert Libas in Hinunangan into a municipality.

He disclosed that Libas which is formerly the location of Southern Leyte Rehabilitation Project during the Marcos Administration, has a big area and that if converted into a municipality would become the first inland municipality of the province.He said it has the potential to become progressive in the near future.

He revealed h e has talked with the representative of DAR during a budget meeting of all heads agencies in the province about his vision of the aforesaid place.

He said that the Dept of Agrarian Reform is equally willing to distribute and divide the lands into square meters for free to the interested settlers who are also willing to settle in Libas.

The Congressman stressed that the survivors of the Guinsaugon Tragedy including those barriofolks from nearby barangays who were resettled in St. Bernard resettlement sites because their areas are also prone to mudslides, are the preferable candidates of the program.

He explained that each family settlers from the Guinsaugon Tragedy survivors could either be given 500 square meters or 1,000 square meters of lot, depending upon the size of the vast tract of land that DAR would be willing to distribute.

He pointed out that since the area is an agricultural land, the first livelihood for the new settler is to plant all kinds of agricultural products including the planting of fruit trees.Thier produce can be marketed in the neighboring municipalities and some of it are for family consumption.

Construction of concrete roads in going to Libas which start at St.Bernard, he said, is not a problem because an appropriation for the infra project can b e requested for funding.

However, he still needs to talk to St.Bernard Mayor Rico Rentuza of his grand plan for Libas and to DAR head Venirando Yap regarding the distribution of lots in Libas.

He further emphasized tha t the construction of the free housing units are also part of the program to be led by Gawad Kalinga, the Ayalas ,Lucio Tan, Humanitarian Institutions and some philanthropists.

Former St. Bernard Mayor Felix Lim and his daughter Joy Lim who is a councilor of the said municipality told the Congressman that he will announce the latter’s plan to the concerned survivors who were residing in various resettlement sites of St.Bernard.

When the Congressman’s plan would become a reality in the future, I would like to suggest that the vacated housing units in the resettlement sites be given to the poor families in different St Bernard barangays where these houses were located.
The priority are the poor families who lived in small houses built with light materials, dilapidated houses, those poor families who have just rented, and t hose who have no permanent residents because they could not afford to build their own houses.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)