Photo of Olutanga-Alicia Road in Zamboanga Sibugay before getting repaired by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). (Photo courtesy of MinDA)
DAVAO CITY – After President Rodrigo Duterte saw the photos of the muddy Olutanga-Alicia Road in Zamboanga Sibugay, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials immediately ordered the contractor to make immediate repairs, an official said Sunday.
Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said after the photos were taken by his agency and were posted on his Facebook page on Sept. 2, it caught the attention of Duterte, and immediately cracked the whip.
“With just one communication from the Office of the President addressed to DPWH road building equipment and machinery sprung into action, Piñol said.
He said portions of the highway where vehicles were stuck for days due to the deep mud were immediately repaired.
“Voila! In one week, it was completed,” he added.
The 29-kilometer Olutanga-Alicia Highway is being constructed with over PHP900 million budget funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Piñol said it was awarded to a Zamboanga City-based construction company, M. Abubakar Construction and Engineering, which he added “was obviously ill-equipped to handle the project.”
He said even during the rainy season, the contractor scraped the whole stretch of the road turning it into a muddy mess with vehicles stuck or falling by the side.
“When MinDA posted the photos following my visit to Olutanga last week, the contractor accused me of being unfair. They said the rains and the soil type were to be blamed for the mess,” the MinDA chair added.
Piñol said it should serve as a lesson to all those who were undertaking critical government projects in Mindanao.
“The President has eyes and ears in Mindanao and I also make endless rounds to make sure that people’s grievances are heard,” he added. (PNA)
