Road Construction Protest At Gerona, Tarlac: Mayor Eclar said "PERWISYO AT BOBONG CONSTRUCTION"

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Thus said Mayor Eloy Eclar who joined the people protesting the snail-paced construction of the national road at Barangay Singat.

“Dahil sa maling sistemang ginagawa ng contractor, 3 araw na kaming hindi makapasok sa aming mga bahay”, said Eclar last February 5, 2017 who is himself an engineer and one among the largest contractor in the province.

Being protested is the slow-paced government project “Rehabilitation and Improvement of Sta. Ignacia-Guimbao Road, Pura-Gerona (Tarlac) Section”.

The billboard on the construction site identified the contractor of the P75.1 million Department of Public Works and Highways project as Flordes Construction and Trading Corporation and LMG Construction joint venture.

However, workers on the site say the road project was sub-contracted by a local firm Asprer Construction of Willy Ong and the Tarlac Provincial Engineering Office (PEO).

“August pa nang basagin nila ang sementong daan pero hanggang ngayon nakatiwangwang pa rin. Magpi-pitong buwan na kaming pinapahirapan ng contractor ”, said Jimmy Ocampo.

The DPWH billboard say the project duration is from June 15, 2016 to February 5, 2017.

“Kundi ba naman sila bobo at perwisyo, ang dalawang gate ng bahay ko hinarangan nila. Lahat ng tao sa lugar namin hindi mai-pasok ang mga sasakyan sa mag bahay nila”, added Eclar who also said the supervising engineer refused to answer his call.

Reached for comment, Engr. Rensy Bucad OPF the Asprer Construction , admitted that they put up the long 12-inch metal form works along the road since Thursday last last week but the ready-mix concrete was not yet delivered at the site due to wrong mixture.

“Two weeks pa lang kaming nagtatrabaho sa project, ang PEO gumawa ng stripping (breaking of the concrete slab, clearing and sub-base preparation). Ang sa amin lang ang concrete pouring. Mali ang mixture ng ready mix (cement) kaya na delay ang delivery”, said Bucad.

In a separate interview, Engr. Manuel Bacani, OIC of PEO, said the delay in the construction was due to the unavailability of the heavy equipment of the provincial government (of Tarlac). He also said the road portion being worked on by Aprer Construction is only 527 meters and the cost of the concrete pouring is P 7 Million.

The stripping he said was done by the PEO.

"Dapat hindi nila ginawang sabay ang both sides ng dating concrete road, wala namang shoulder na puwedeng daanan. Last year hinukay nila ang one side pero ang kalahati binitak-bitak kaya kawawa kaming dumadaan", also Ocampo.

A jeepney driver plying the Tarlac City-Guimba road who requested his name withheld said, “kaming mga namamasada ang napeperwisyo ng husto sa bagal ng trabaho nila (contractor). Nasisira ang aming mga sasakyan dahil sa bakubakong kalsada”.
The project was awarded during the term of former president Benigno Aquino and funded from the Motor Vehicle Road Users Tax.

“Dahil sa bagal ng trabaho, maraming nahihirapan at na-aapektuhan. Hindi dapat ganyan ang implementation ng government project”, added Eclar.

The house of Mayor Eloy Eclar blocked by construction form works for 3 days of the long delayed road rehabilitation project of the Guimba (Nueva Ecija) –Sta. Ignacia road at Barangay Singat, Gerona, Tarlac.

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