ARMM officials scrambling to fix damaged bridge

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Officials are worried after the collapse of arterial ramps connecting two ends of a highway to a bridge linking Maguindanao and North Cotabato, due to rampaging floodwaters.

The central office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the executive department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are now scrambling to have the Tunggol Bridge in Datu Montawal, Maguindanao fixed immediately.

“There will be a major retrogression in our economy if the bridge is swept away by floodwaters. The rainy days keep coming back,” Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu on Wednesday said in a meeting in Cotabato City with senior ARMM officials.

Assistant Secretary Dimas Soguilon of the central office of DPWH was also present in the meeting.

The condition of the Tunggol Bridge was discussed lengthily during the meeting, jointly presided over by ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, his regional public works secretary, Hadji Emil Sadain and Soguilon.

Soguilon and Sadain both assured to do their best to fix the bridge.

The multi-million Tunggol Bridge links Maguindanao and North Cotabato to Davao City, a major trading center for the business communities in the two provinces.

The meeting, held at the Office of the Regional Governor in Cotabato City, was aimed at discussing updates on the implementation of major, multi-million projects of the national government in the autonomous region.

Other vital concerns, such as recurring floods in Maguindanao, and reported delays in completion of infrastructure projects due to security problems were also tackled by attending officials.

Mangudadatu, presiding chair of the multi-sectoral Maguindanao peace and order council, said his Moro, Christian and lumad constituents are more worried of the present condition of the Tunggol Bridge.

“That is because there are no security problems affecting infrastructure projects in Maguindanao. What our people want is the immediate repair of the Tunggol Bridge,” Mangudadatu said.

During the meeting, Hataman reprimanded the representatives of two construction firms involved in the concreting of stretches of the Lake Lanao circumferential road in Lanao del Sur due to very low accomplishment ratings, far from projections stated in programs of work.

The CAVDEAL and WTC construction outfits started the concreting projects last year, but accomplished only 29 and 22 percent of the concreting works, respectively.

Representatives of both firms cited “security problems” as the reason for the delays in the concreting works.

Hataman said the Lake Lanao circumferential road, a project of the national government, is expected to be fully concreted by February 2015.

“These are projects of the national government. These two construction companies will be answerable to Malacañang and the people of Lanao del Sur if these projects are not completed by February 2015,” Hataman said.

Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. said the justifications of the two construction firms were exaggerated.

Worse, Adiong said, the contractors listens to gossips about threats on the lives of workers involved in the concreting works.

“My office, along with the provincial police, is always open for dialogues with these contractors. We are here to help,” Adiong said.

Brig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, which has jurisdiction over Maguindanao, said one problem with contractors is that they do not coordinate with the police and the military.

“Without coordination, we would not know what their security requirements are. They also need to coordinate with the governors and the mayors as their principal protectors,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan also warned contractors not to shell out “protection money” to armed groups.

“If you give out money they will keep coming back. These groups can also kidnap workers if the amount you pay them is not enough,” Pangilinan said.