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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Lacson-Sotto tandem calls out contractors of road projects that degrade easily

Lacson-Sotto tandem calls out contractors of road projects that degrade easily

Published Feb 21, 2022 04:17 pm

Presidential candidate Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday, Feb. 21 said contractors and proponents of road projects that degrade easily should be held accountable and penalized, as billions of pesos in Filipino taxpayers’ funds are wasted on preventive maintenance for roads that are hindering, instead of enhancing, the flow of transportation and commerce across the country.

Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson

Lacson and running mate Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III issued the warning after they passed through several bad stretches of cemented but potholed roads in their sorties across northern Luzon over the weekend.

“Dapat habulin. Kasi gastos tayo nang gastos tapos sira kaagad. Tapos sa susunod na taon, ito na naman (budget) appropriation na naman (We should go after them. Because we keep on spending yet they break down easily. Then in the next year, these will go through appropriations again),’’ according to Lacson after his convoy reached Sta. Rosa, Nueva Ecija following stops in Baguio City and Urdaneta City in Pangasinan.

The three-term senator noted that road maintenance expenses nationwide often reach hundreds of billions of pesos, when in fact the roads were supposed to be designed to last.

“Minsan after six months ‘pag ulan ganyan na (Sometimes after six months, when it rains it’s like that (broken down)],” Lacson added.

On Sunday, the Lacson-Sotto tandem and Partido Reporma’s senatorial candidates led by Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel ‘Manny’ Piñol headed to Urdaneta from a two-day stay in Baguio to hold a dialogue with tricycle drivers and operators. The group then headed to Sta. Rosa to consult with farmers.

In their travels, Lacson saw and felt for himself how their vehicles were bouncing off substandard roads that were apparently made of inferior materials, and which could be checked by post-project audits and a simple boring of holes on parts of the roads.

“Kanina papunta rito, alam mo naawa ako sa sasakyan namin...parang walang tabon ‘yung ano—pundasyon. Alam ko nadaanan niyo rin ‘yun. ‘Di ba lumalagabog ‘yung kotse, anong ibig sabihin? (On our way here, you know I pitied our vehicle... It felt like the roads didn’t have a strong enough foundation. I know you pass through these roads every day. Don’t your vehicles sink and bounce through it? What does that mean?)’’ the former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief told reporters in Nueva Ecija.

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roads Tito Sotto Contractors Panfilo Lacson degrade substandard 22122
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