Right-of-way acquisition woes delaying gov't projects, DPWH says

Top officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) have met to resolve the issues on right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, which they said, remain one of the top reasons in the delay of the implementation of the government projects.

During the meeting held over the weekend, DPWH officials revisited the existing programs, policies, and issues on road right-of-way acquisition and other legal concerns.

DPWH Undersecretary for Legal Service Anne Sharlyne G. Lapuz said the main agenda of the meeting is to ensure that current issues in facilitating ROW acquisitions could smoothen the implementation of their aligned projects as well as the automation of documents pertaining to right of way acquisitions.

Problems on ROW acquisition still remain as the most common cause of delay in project implementation, hence the need to further improve the Department’s ROW processes," said Lapuz.

Other issues discussed were relocation of poles owned by electric cooperatives; funding and claims involving Certificates of Ancestral Domain Titles (CADT) and Certificates of Ancestral Land Titles (CALT); as well as other ROW-related issues in the regions.