By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent /
A MEMBER of the city council’s committee on roads and traffic management yesterday called on the Department of Public Works and Highways to use the law and the state’s power on a Lapasan property in order to speed up the construction of a section of the ongoing coastal road project that is seen to significantly decongest CM Recto Avenue and neighboring areas.
Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr., the committee’s vice chairperson, said this after public works and highways officials told the committee that the coastal road project from barangays Gusa to Puntod could be completed by September.
But Lao said the project should have been completed a long time ago, and the city should not be made to wait until September.
“Dugay ra gyud kaayo ni nga proyekto pero dili pa mahuman tungod anang property ni Kapitan Condrad Lim,” Lao said.
Lim is the chairman of Barangay 33 who built a house on a property in Lapasan that prevents the DPWH’s contractor, Equi-Parco Construction Co., from finishing a section of the coastal road project.
City engineer Roland Pacuribot said the problem is that the DPWH cannot compensate Lim for the affected portion of the property because of legal issues hounding it.
Pacuribot said the property is actually part of the sea that was reclaimed.
“Iya (Lim) kanang gi-reclaim ug iya pa gyud nga gilabat. Ma-o nang dili mahuman ang coastal road kay dili man makasulod,” he said.
Pacuribot alleged that Lim also fenced the property without a permit from the local government.
“Walay iyang reclamation permit, walay fencing permit, wala tanan,” he said.
Pacuribot said expropriation proceedings cannot be done by the DPWH because Lim allegedly has no permits.
“Dili man mahimo nga paliton sa gobyerno ang usa ka property nga walay permit ug wala tanan, kay mahulog nga ang gobyerno nagpalit sa illegally acquired nga property,” Pacuribot said.
Councilor Lao, a former barangay chairman of Lapasan, said the DPWH should act fast and use the law in order to expedite the road project, pointing out that the city needs the new road as soon as possible because of the worsening vehicular traffic problem.
He said one law that DPWH can use is the Building Code.
“Na-a man untay bala-od pero wala man gamita sa DPWH para unta nga mahuman na kanang maong dalan,” Lao said.
Mayor Oscar Moreno also called on the DPWH to fasttrack the Gusa-Puntod coastal road project, saying it would greatly help in decongesting the CM Recto Avenue where SM CDO Downtown Premier would open on Friday.
Yesterday, the Roads and Traffic Administration started a dry run on its new traffic scheme in anticipation of the traffic jams resulting from the opening of the new mall.
“Makatabang na kana kaayo nga dalan pagpalu-ag sa atong traffic dinhi sa Recto Avenue kon mahuman na kana nga dalan,” Moreno said.
Disclaimer
Mindanao Gold Star Daily holds the copyrights of all articles and photos in perpetuity. Any unauthorized reproduction in any platform, electronic and hardcopy, shall be liable for copyright infringement under the Intellectual Property Rights Law of the Philippines.
