Public works projects showcase DPWH ‘stupidity’

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:12 AM January 17, 2019

I was laughing while eating breakfast and reading “Right of way problems plague road projects in Batangas” and “How taxpayer money is wasted on big-ticket public works projects” (1/14/18).

This is one of the thousand evidences of “engineering stupidity” committed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and a validation of the statements of Sen. Panfilo Lacson (“‘Whimsical’ pet projects lead to waste of funds — Lacson,” 12/23/18).

The picture of a single-story house standing in the middle of a road project in Batangas irrefutably shows lack of planning. The DPWH could have moved the road to avoid the property and the problem could have been solved.

The article also mentioned that most landowners were not paid for their properties. The Batangas case is not an isolated one; there are other cases like this across the country.

In addition, the picture of the project signboard is an example of incompetence and corruption. Why? The DPWH reportedly pays P20,000-P30,000 for each signboard that shows details of the contractor, etc. Could a mere signboard perched on or nailed to a tree cost P20,000?

Lastly, the DPWH is blatantly violating Republic Act No. 10752 or the Right-of-Way Act. Maybe Senator Lacson can initiate the filing of a class suit against the DPWH?

JUNIPER DOMINGUEZ, Sabangan, Mountain Province, [email protected]

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