Delays hound Subic-Clark road project
CLARK SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE—Demanding compensation, landowners have put up fences and barricades along the Subic-Clark road project, raising fears of another round of delay.
The landowners, represented by former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chair Felicito Payumo, said the BCDA has not paid a single centavo for the road project’s right of way since the start of the project two years ago.
“We’re back to square one. Landowners have been deprived of payment and no assurance was given when they can be paid,” Payumo said in a press statement.
Payumo, who owns land on the path of the project, blamed the poor dissemination of information within the BCDA organization.
He said even BCDA chair, retired Gen. Narciso Abaya, was probably unaware of the problem because he had not lifted a finger to resolve the impasse.
“Knock, knock. Is anybody home? Is there anybody calling the shots at the BCDA?” Payumo said.
The BCDA has also yet to resolve right-of-way issues in Pampanga and Tarlac, raising doubts over the agency’s capability to meet the target completion of the 92-km expressway by the end of this year.
But earlier, Abaya said he expected no more delay in the construction because a local court handling the expropriation case was expected to issue the BCDA a writ of possession of the property in the first week of this month.
“We’ve solved a major problem,” he told the Inquirer in an earlier interview.
He said the court last week decided in favor of the BCDA after Finance Secretary Margarito Teves issued a directive to the Bureau of Internal Revenue to revert to the old rate.
The 8,000-square meter property was initially valued at P1,000 per sq m. The price, however, increased and this made President Macapagal-Arroyo angry during her visit here on July 13 last year.
The government could have paid P80 million to landowners if the new rate prevailed, Abaya said.
He said Teves also ordered the regional BIR office to explain the sharp valuation increase on the land covered by that part of the 94-km SCTEx.
As of Jan. 17, the project is 59.27 percent finished and the two Japanese contractors—Kajima-Obayashi-JFE Engineering-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Joint Venture and the Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Steel Joint Venture—are “pressured” to get past the 8-percent delay in work schedule, Abaya said. With a report from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon
The landowners, represented by former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chair Felicito Payumo, said the BCDA has not paid a single centavo for the road project’s right of way since the start of the project two years ago.
“We’re back to square one. Landowners have been deprived of payment and no assurance was given when they can be paid,” Payumo said in a press statement.
Payumo, who owns land on the path of the project, blamed the poor dissemination of information within the BCDA organization.
He said even BCDA chair, retired Gen. Narciso Abaya, was probably unaware of the problem because he had not lifted a finger to resolve the impasse.
“Knock, knock. Is anybody home? Is there anybody calling the shots at the BCDA?” Payumo said.
The BCDA has also yet to resolve right-of-way issues in Pampanga and Tarlac, raising doubts over the agency’s capability to meet the target completion of the 92-km expressway by the end of this year.
But earlier, Abaya said he expected no more delay in the construction because a local court handling the expropriation case was expected to issue the BCDA a writ of possession of the property in the first week of this month.
“We’ve solved a major problem,” he told the Inquirer in an earlier interview.
He said the court last week decided in favor of the BCDA after Finance Secretary Margarito Teves issued a directive to the Bureau of Internal Revenue to revert to the old rate.
The 8,000-square meter property was initially valued at P1,000 per sq m. The price, however, increased and this made President Macapagal-Arroyo angry during her visit here on July 13 last year.
The government could have paid P80 million to landowners if the new rate prevailed, Abaya said.
He said Teves also ordered the regional BIR office to explain the sharp valuation increase on the land covered by that part of the 94-km SCTEx.
As of Jan. 17, the project is 59.27 percent finished and the two Japanese contractors—Kajima-Obayashi-JFE Engineering-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Joint Venture and the Hazama-Taisei-Nippon Steel Joint Venture—are “pressured” to get past the 8-percent delay in work schedule, Abaya said. With a report from Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon
posted by OlongapoCity Zambales at
7:47 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home