GROUNDBREAKING NG SLEX NORTHBOUND EXIT, ISINAGAWA

“Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.” – Samuel Johnson. Ito ang iniwang inspirasyon ng Punong Lungsod Lourdes Cataquiz sa kanyang bating-panimula sa katatapos lamang na Ground Breaking Ceremony sa pagpapasimula ng SLEX Northbound Exit Interchange noong ika-19 ng Hulyo, 2018, ganap na 2:30 ng hapon sa Barangay San Antonio, lungsod ng San Pedro. Sa isang makasaysayang araw na ito, binigyang diin muli ni Mayor Cataquiz ang pagpapasalamat sa Panginoon sa biyaya ng tagumpay na maisakatuparan ang matagal nang minimithing proyekto. Ipinahayag din niya ang pagpapasalamat kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, Congresswoman Arlene Arcillas, sa Pamahalaang Lungsod ng San Pedro at sa mga mamamayan na nagbahagi ng kanilang lupang pagmamay-ari bilang pagsuporta at pagpapahayag ng kanilang ‘Best Shared Intentions’ para sa lungsod ng San Pedro. Patuloy na nilalayon na sa pamamagitan ng SLEX Northbound Exit Interchange ay maisakatuparan din na maging Business Hub ang nasabing lungsod. Ipinangako ng alkalde ang transparency at kasiguraduhan na matatapos ang proyekto sa takdang petsa. Nagpahatid din ng pagbati si Congresswoman Arlene Arcillas, Gov. Ramil Hernandez at ang kinatawan ni Secretary Mark Villar na si DPWH Region 4A Director Samson Hebra. Ang kanilang mga pagbati ay pawang sumesentro sa tagumpay na naidudulot ng pagkakaisa ng Pamahalaan at ng Pribadong Sektor. “Ang katuparan ng proyektong SLEX Northbound Exit Interchange ay makapagbibigay ng kaganapan sa Lungsod ng San Pedro bilang Gateway to Laguna,” dagdag pa nila. Ang Ground Breaking Ceremony ay dinaluhan din ni DPWH Asst. Regional Director Yolanda Tangco, DPWH Construction Division Chief Carolina Pastrana, TRB Executive Director Abraham Sales, Executive Assistant V Aaron Cataquiz, DepEd Supervisor Jovito M. Barcenas Sangguniang Panlungsod, Liga ng mga Kapitan ng Barangay, kinatawan ng iba’t-ibang kumpanya sa San Pedro, Local Media, kinatawan ng Simbahan, mga Kawani ng Gobyerno, Alaska Corporation, Homeowners Associations, at old San Pedronians.

Luzon Spine network on track

The Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) is targeted to double the length of the country’s high standard highways by the end of the Duterte administration.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar  said  by 2022,  the administration would have constructed the Luzon Spine Expressway Network -- a network of high standard highways with a total length of 834.72 kilometers (kms) which is about twice the length of existing expressways of 382 kms.

“We are on target. We have already opened several sections of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, the Arterial Plaridel Bypass Project, the Laguna Lake Expressway and the Radial Road 10. Within the year, we expect to open the NLEX Harbor Link Project, which will connect McArthur Highway and C3 and reduce travel time from Quezon City to Manila to only 10 minutes,” Villar said.

Once completed, travel time from Metro Manila to San Fernando, La Union will be reduced from six  hours and 55 minutes to three hours and 10 minutes. Travel time from Ilocos to Bicol will be reduced from 19 hours and 40 minutes to 8 hours and 15 minutes.

The DPWH has so far built a total of 3,945 kms. of roads since the start of the Duterte administration.

“Since the term of President Duterte, we have widened 1,908 kms. of roads, built 328 kms. of bypasses and diversion roads, 393 kms. of missing gaps connecting national roads, and 1,316 kms. of access roads leading to airports, seaports/Ro-Ro (Roll on-roll off)  ports and tourist destinations.

For the inter-island linkage projects, the DPWH will start the construction of the 3.77-km Panguil Bay Bridge that will connect the City of Tangub in Misamis Occidental to the Municipality of Tubod in Lanao del Norte by October.

“Once completed in 2021, it will only take 10 minutes to reach Tangub City from Tubod using the bridge compared to the 2.5 hours it would take using the 102-km. route via the Tubod- Kapatagan-Molave-Tangub road. Travel time between Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental and Mukas, Kolambugan, Lanao Del Norte will be reduced from 2.5 hours using Ro-Ro operations to 20 minutes using the Panguil Bay Bridge,” Villar said.

Also included in this network is the Bataan-Cavite Interlink, the Mindoro-Batangas Super Bridge, the Panay-Guimaras-Negors Link, the Negros-Cebu Link Bridge, the Panguil Bay Bridge, the Guicam Brdige, the Camarines-Catanduanes Friend Bridge, the Luzon Sorsogon-Samar Link Bridge, the Davao Samall Bridge, among others

 Meanwhile, Villar noted that while reforms are still being done to further improve fiscal spending, the agency’s absorptive capacity in 2017 is the highest it has achieved since.

 “In 2017, DPWH has already recorded the highest absorptive capacity at 92 percent above the 85 percent target —with P674.93 billion in allotments and P621.94 billion in obligations incurred. This is historically the highest absorptive capacity achieved by the department,” Villar noted.

 “This is far higher than the 70- percent absorptive capacity recorded in 2011 — at a budget far lower. Allotment then was only at P173 billion and obligations was at P121 billion,” he added.

 As of June 15, 2018, DPWH has already recorded a 68-percent absorptive capacity — with P457.13 obligations already incurred out of the P675.27 billion obligated. This is excluding the projects executed by the department outside the General Appropriations Act, such as unsolicited proposals.

 “While the department is performing at its best — we learned that the problem of underspending is an institutional issue that can only be cured by institutional reforms. We need to ensure there is discipline in the planning process,” Villar noted.

“The Filipino should not be held liable for the flaws in the system. Corruption is a function of discretion and monopoly. In increasing accountability inside the system, we ensure faster budget execution and service delivery,” he added.

 To ensure efficient delivery of infrastructure, Villar has ordered to intensify and strictly impose the sanctions based on calculated actions on contractors with negative slippages.

“As early as when the system detects a 5 percent negative slippage — the contractor involved in the project will be given a warning and required to submit a `catch-up program’ to eliminate the slippage or delay,” Villar said.

 “If such slippage furthers to at least 10 percent – (the contractor) will be given a second warning and required to submit a detailed action program on a two-week basis. At any point that such contractor incurs a delay of at least 15 percent, (the contractor) will be given a final warning and required to come up with a more detailed program of activities with weekly physical targets, together with the required additional input resources,” he added.

 Villar also noted that all contractors with ongoing DPWH contracts which have incurred negative slippages of beyond 15 percent, the project manager, district engineer  and regional director of the agency shall initiate termination of the contract, following the due process.