Lito acts on unfinished street diggings

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza blew his top yesterday over unfinished diggings in the City, including one traffic-causing Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) project that proudly displays his name, and ordered the police to arrest their workers.

Atienza said with the perennial flooding plaguing the metropolis, slow and idle diggings could cause danger to pedestrians unaware of their presence under floodwaters.

Atienza was particularly peeved by one project near the Manila City Hall that is slowing down traffic and taking too long to complete and, on certain times, has no workers.

"I often pass by the excavation and I find no one working on them. Sometimes it has a sign bearing my name but that is not my project," he said.

The practice of placing the names of politicians on infrastructure projects is often a standard procedure for the DPWH. Politicians reportedly demand that their names be displayed on the projects, although they have nothing to do with it, or else the DPWH would not be allowed to do the work in the official’s jurisdiction.

In his order, Atienza ordered the City’s Engineer’s Office to fill in the abandoned projects and for the Manila police to arrest workers whose contractors cannot present the proper permit for the diggings.

"I do not care if the diggings are being done by a private entity or a government agency such as the DPWH. If they cannot show a valid permit from the city government, arrest the crew and fill up the diggings," the mayor was quoted telling Western Police District Director Senior Superintendent Nicolas Pasinos.

Meanwhile, Atienza branded as "hardheaded and recidivists" the illegal vendors whose stalls he ordered demolished from the sidewalks of the University belt area. The vendors recently filed contempt charges against Atienza for reportedly violating an earlier court order allowing them to occupy the sidewalk.

"We are not in any manner daunted by their legal hocus-pocus. If anything, it only strengthens our resolve to continue our campaign," he said.

Atienza’s contempt case is set for hearing today at Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 42 of Judge Guillermo Purganan. – Jose Aravilla