It is not fun in the Philippines if you are traveling on the highways of Davao-Bukidnon, Butuan-Cagayan de Oro, Cagayan de Oro-Iligan and Digos-Kidapawan. Several portions of these roads are being excavated and “repaired” by pouring new concrete into the “excavations.”
By the manner the repair/maintenance work is being done, it is obvious that the contractors do not take into account the riding public, the time and fuel wasted in the long lines of vehicles waiting for their turn to pass the only open lane, which comes after the opposite traffic has passed through. These maintenance, repair or whatever activities are being simultaneously undertaken, and the public will have to wait for some time to be able to use these stretches of roads again because the new cement is not the kind that dries up fast.
Traveling on the well-maintained road between Compostela Valley and Carraga province takes only three to four hours; between Butuan and Guingoog, four hours because of the ongoing road work; between Guingoog and Cagayan de Oro, five hours; and between Cagayan and Iligan, which is about 77 kilometers, three to four hours because of heavy vehicular traffic during peak hours.
Last March 29, after a heavy downpour, a horrendous traffic gridlock ensued on a stretch of the Bukidnon-Cagayan de Oro highway before Malaybalay. The gridlock extended back to more than 15 km, stranding commuters and passengers for more than two hours, before it was untangled.
My observation of the activities: They are taking a long time to finish. The contractors should provide well-maintained detour roads. They should post efficient and dedicated traffic control people at each end of the construction projects, with adequate traffic lights and communication facilities for better coordination.
The contractors should be more efficient in upgrading roads, e.g., by using quick-dry cement. The DPWH people should closely monitor these activities/projects. The common observation is, roads constructed by foreign firms like Hanil and Daewoo are better built and more durable than those built by Filipino contractors. To see is to believe. Travel on the roads that Filipino contractors have built.
—DR. RIZAL APORTADERA,
rizalaportadera@yahoo.com