Equipment working at contract package 1A involving the 9.41-kilometer Bacong-Iligan-Marawi Road. (Photo courtesy of Department of Public Works and Highways)
MANILA ---Three groups of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) contractors simultaneously started on Friday the reconstruction/rehabilitation of 18.97 kilometers of roads in Marawi City, through the funding from the Official Development Assistance(ODA) of the government of Japan
“It’s all systems go for the rehabilitation of Marawi roads with essential heavy equipment working on multi-site preparatory works”, said DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office (UPMO) Operations and Technical Services Emil K. Sadain during the actual start of the civil work activities.
Apart from Sadain, Marawi Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra, Lanao del Sur Vice Governor Mujam Raki-in Adiong, Task Force Bangon Marawi Assistant Secretary Frederick Castro and John Dominic Pulido of the office of Secretary Mark A. Villar also graced the event.
In his report to Villar, Sadain said three contract packages of civil works activities for stage 1 construction of Transcentral Roads are now moving. These are CP-1A with two road sections with a total length of 9.41 kms. awarded to Unimasters Conglomeration, Inc./M.M.A. Achiever Const. & Dev’t Corp./CDH Construction/Flying Seven Construction (JV) represented by Farrah Mangondato; CP-1B with five road sections with a total length of 5.45 kms. under contract with Al Hussein Const. / N.B. Sabo Const. (JV) represented by Cocoy Dalidig; and CP-2 with two road sections with a total length of 4.11 kms. under contractor Odin and Lani Kouzbary of Kouzbary Builders.
Contract package 1A involves the 9.41-kilometer Bacong-Iligan-Marawi Road.
Contract Package 1-B covers the construction of Bacong-Poona-Marantao-Marawi Road (including drainage), GMA Terminal Access, Marawi-Cadre-New Capitol, Marcos Boulevard, and Idarus Road Section while Contract Package 2 covers the MSU - GMA Road and Lumidong - Amai Pakpak Avenue.
Sadain, DPWH focal person in the Inter-Agency Task Force Bangon Marawi, said it is very rewarding to see that a project like this come to fruition in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s rehabilitation and recovery plan to rebuild the conflict-torn city and its surrounding areas by improving road access to developing new economic centers and viable living spaces.
The contract for road paving with 280 millimeters thick two lanes portland concrete cement is estimated for CP-1A to take about two months in detailed design preparation and 21 months of construction while CP-1B and CP-2 both have 14 months contract duration with two months intended for detailed design and 12 months civil works.
The stage 1 rehabilitation of Marawi Transcentral Roads amounting PHP970 million funded by a grant from the Japanese government was officially launched with a ceremonial groundbreaking during the first quarter of 2019 by President Duterte represented by Villar and Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Concern and Muslim Affairs Secretary Abdullah Mama-o.
Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Chief Representative Yoshio Wada were also in attendance during the event.
The detailed engineering design for stage 2 Transcentral Roads, consisting of 13 road sections, is also included in the Japanese grant.
Assigned by Villar and Sadain to supervise and monitor implementation of this JICA-funded Marawi reconstruction and development projects are DPWH UPMO Roads Management Cluster 1 Director Virgilio Castillo, Project Manager Francisco Sawali, Marawi City rehabilitation action officer Assistant Director Honorato Saldua Jr., overall project coordinator Assistant Director Botoanun Baunto, Engineer Neijam Langa and Project Engineers Yacob Mambuay, Reyderick Siozon and Subhair Pasandalan.
A DPWH Traffic Management Plan with many different options studied by the contractors and consultant Woodfields Design Inc. was discussed with the LGU of Marawi City.
Traffic advisories in tarpaulin were also installed to ensure that the traveling public, city government, and stakeholders are well informed of the work being performed and the related road lane closures.
Sadain said the project is the first of the other significant development projects that DPWH will be implementing in Marawi City and its surrounding areas within the next four years to ensure better mobility that will propel economic activity, as people including the internally displaced persons are regaining back their lives.
The financing for the Marawi Transcentral Roads stage 2 with a total length of 21 kilometers together with the 19.8 kilometers Marawi City Ring Road are included in the PHP14 billion JICA loan signed on June 18, 2019 under the Road Network Development Project in Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao or RNDP-CAAM.
This also includes the construction of new roads to link inaccessible communities of Maguindanao Province that will contribute to the consolidation of peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region particularly the 35 kilometers Parang - Balabagan Road, 7 kilometers Parang East Diversion Road, and 16.8 kilometers Manuangan-Parang Road.
Sadain said the approved loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund civil works for Transcentral Roads stage 3 with a total length of 24 kilometers targeted to start by 2020 including construction of 1.6 kilometer Malabang Viaduct, construction of three bridges along Rorogagus Road, and five other projects listed under the Bangon Marawi Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan.
The construction of a new Grand Mosque, also known as the Islamic Center, as an important place of worship will cost about PHP245 million and is open for possible ODA financing, Sadain said. (PR)
