Revilla to DPWH: Don’t pass buck on flood control project

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. appealed to Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. yesterday to stop blaming other agencies for the delay in the completion of P3.79-billion flood control project at the Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (Camanava) area.

Instead of blaming other parties for the delays, Revilla said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should exercise leadership over its various projects nationwide to ensure their timely completion.

“Don’t pass the buck, take the lead,” he said.

Revilla was disappointed over the report furnished him by the DPWH blaming the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), Maynilad Water Services Inc. and the local government of Navotas for the delay in the completion of the multi-billion flood control project in the northern part of Metro Manila.

“It is unthinkable that issues such as right of way have not been resolved when the project was due to be finished by July this year,” said Revilla, who chairs Senate committee on public works.

Revilla said he has received a lot of complaints from affected residents and commuters in the area. The city of Malabon has declared a state of calamity following the floods caused by two recent typhoons.

In the DPWH’s progress report on the flood control project for the month of June, officials blamed Meralco and Maynilad for the delay because the two agencies failed to relocate their facilities, impeding the construction of the project at the Longos Creek site and Northern Catmon area.

The same report said Navotas City has not issued road closure permits in the Northbay Boulevard and Lapu-lapu Avenue for digging work to start there. Digging operations in the areas were suspended since March this year.

“Two years ago I visited the project site and was assured that it will be completed in due time,” said Revilla. “Now all we hear are justifications for delay.”

Revilla said that as of June this year, the project already posted a negative 19.57 percent slippage or delay in violation of a DPWH policy that no project should go beyond a negative 15 percent delay.

He said the agency should exhaust all its power and resources to force erring parties to comply with the construction policies and schedule.

“If these groups are really at fault, then DPWH must make them pay the price for the delay,” Revilla added in a statement.

But Revilla pointed out that according to the June report the contractor, Nishimatsu Construction Co. (NCC) of Japan, also blames DPWH for failing to provide the latter full possession of the construction sites.