Piston hits government plan to privatize Kennon Road

Tuba, Benguet, Philippines – A militant transport group yesterday criticized a government plan to privatize Kennon Road, which was built more than a hundred years ago.

The Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) said handing over Kennon Road to private control shows that the government is indeed incapable of providing the public with good roads and other services.

Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson earlier disclosed a plan to privatize the 41.2-kilometer main artery to Baguio City to efficiently maintain it, thus easing the problems of motorists heading to the summer capital.

“Where are the billions of road user’s tax being collected from public utility vehicles and private motorists upon registration at the LTO (Land Transportation Office) going to?” asked Piston national president George San Mateo.

Piston said privatization is not the solution to the problems besetting Kennon Road, “but removing the existing corruption in public works projects like the standard operation procedure or grease money not lower than 10 percent asked by officials, burgeoning the cost of maintaining the road system.”

If the government succeeds in privatizing Kennon Road, Mateo said, “What would prevent it from doing the same to Marcos Highway and Naguilian Road?”