Groups to institute road sector report card

How many kilometers road projects we have that were reported as “first class” (concreted to specified thickness and cement-gravel-sand ratio) but in actual were just paved with soil bulldozed from a nearby mountain, or if ever cemented it’s below the specifications? I am sure there are a lot out there and any observant person can cite one or two such a project and wondering why after ten years the road remains unfinished and unpassable during rainy season when soil turns into mud. And when a lay person inquires why it remained unfinished, the explanation from “authorities” is that “there is no more available money to finish the project” and that the lay person seems content with the explanation not knowing that when such project was bidded to a contractor it is understood that there was already an allotted budget for such a project from previous fiscal year and that except in extraordinary circumstances the contractor is bound to finish it no matter what.

The reason contractors gets away with it is the absence of peoples (residents) awareness of what is the project all about- e.g. if its just paving or concreting because there is no sign posted defining what’s the project all about. The people usually depends on rumors that the project resulted from the effort/generosity of the “congressman” a “senator” etc. and if it turns out unfinished or below standard the people seems not to complain at all and rather still feel “grateful” to the “congressman” even if the portion of the money to complete the project was already in the pockets of the players.

One best thing therefore is to pass a law making it mandatory that in every public road projects (or any project for that matter) the following should be posted in ORANGE BIG BOLD LETTERS VISIBLE UP TO 100 METERS showing:
1) The Name of the Project (concreting, paving with gravel or sand or dirt only, etc.)
2) The Amount in Pesos involved
3) The Lenght in Kilometers
4) The Name of the Contractor
5) The Start and Finish Date; and
6) The Name and address or number of contact person or agency just in case one is to file a complaint.

The Certificate of Completion should be signed by all Barangay Captains, Parish Priests or pastors, and one person of reputation in the community which has jurisdiction of the place.

In this way, the people themselves can act as “monitors”. Reporting connivance between government inspectors and constractor is therefore avoided and contrators cannot escape liability.

Also, in large projects involving hundreds of kilometers we should not award it to a single contractor alone and instead divide it among e.g. the three qualified lowest bidders (contract price should be the average of these three lowest bidders) in say aggregate of 10 or 20 kilometers each. In this way we can finish the project in a short time and if one contractor falters the whole project is not put in jeopardy.

Hay nakuh! Kahit ano pang watch dog or MOA or check and balance ang pagkasunduan nang kung sino sino pa man hindi maayos yang kabulukan ng DPWH.

Nagtataka naman ako sa COA, audit ng audit at kung ano anong kabulukan ang nakikita pero wala namang nangyayari in the end. Sayang lang ang pera at panahon na ginugol sa pag audit.

Kung ang COA ay mabibigyan ng tamang lakas na mag hain ng kaso sa korte may pag asa pang maituwid ang mga departmento ng gobyerno na gugulin ang pondo sa tamang paraan. Pero hanggat inutil ang COA mananatiling abusado ang mga sangay ng gobyerno. Ang tanong eh bakit ba hindi yan mabigyan ng tamang ngipin? E kasi pati si congressman madadali ng audit, pag nagkataon lahat ng congressmen makukulong. Kaya wag na kayong umasa pa na maayos ang DPWH hanggat inutil ang COA.

Kayong mga congressman alam naman ninyo ang dapat na gawin pero kung ano anong walang kwnetang batas ang pinaguusapan ninyo sa kamara! Mga inutil kayo! Kasi kayo mismo mga swapang sa pera kaya di ninyo mabitawan ang mga pork barrel ninyo!

Yan po ang dulo ng kabulukan ng sistema, ang mga congressmen na siyang gumagawa ng batas. Mga mapagkunyari! Kagalang galang sa harap, kasuklam suklam sa likod! Hala iboto ulit ang mga iyan sa darating na eleksyon!

Certificate ng barangay captain (BC) ba kamo? Sus ginoo! Eh numero unong kurakot ang mga BC, tingnan mo yang mga project ng BC ang laking pera ang nawawala sa level naiyan. Bilangin mo ang mga project niyan sa kumunidad mo.

Mga priest? Ay sus! Mayaman na yang simbahan wag ng payamanin pa. At wag ng ihalo pa ang relihiyon sa politika para wag ng gumulo pa.

Isa lang ang sagot , politician has to go back to basic, instead of creating so many departments and sub agents, it should start minimizing the branches of governments at bigyan ng tamang obligasyon at responsibilidad ang bawat sangay. The lesser the more it become simpler, the better it can be managed, and the easier to pinpoint the crocodile and cut it head.

mac.bh,

I think i did not make myself clear that’s why you did not get the point.

The point i am driving here is to make as many people as possible as signatories to the CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION in order to discourage contractors from shortchanging the projects because of the many people that he has to “take care of” or to make “lagay” such that shortchanging a project is no longer “profitable”. In fact, if we could require all the barangay or town residents for that matter to sign the better.

Also, try to avoid sweeping accusations about the integrity of BCs and others by your deductive logic. If it so in your area, it does not necessarily follow that it is also the same as regards others. Even in Sodom and Gomorrah there was Lot & his family.

This is about pooling of ideas together (brainstorming) on how we can improve things for the better on the proposition that somehow, some day, somebody who has in the position to make it a reality (congress particularly) could pick up these ideas. Crticism is always welcome as long as it is followed by a suggestion no matter how trivial.

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