GORDON TELLS: EMPLOY OLONGAPEÑOS

Mayor James "Bong" Gordon, Jr. has reminded the Dep't. of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to prioritize Olongapeños to work in the implementation of infrastructure projects in the city.

Mayor Gordon has emphasized Republic Act 6685 which mandates that “private contractors, including sub-contractors to whom awards are made for the undertaking of national and local public works projects funded by either the National Government or any local government unit, including foreign assisted projects, must hire at least 50% of the unskilled and 30% of the skilled labor requirements from the unemployed bonafide and actual residents in the province, city and municipality who are ready, willing and able as determined by the governor, city mayor or municipal mayor concerned where the projects are to be undertaken.”

Mayor Bong Gordon said that for the city to effectively monitor the implementation of the mandate, the Public Employment Service Office (PESO) and the City Engineering Office are enjoined to submit the lists of all public works projects funded by the National Government and the manpower requirements stating the classes and quantity of labor requirements.

With Mayor Gordon’s initiative, more residents of Olongapo City are anticipating for more jobs. “These provisions of RA 6685 will greatly affect the economic condition of a certain province, city and municipality,” Mayor Gordon said.

Zambales access to SCTEx pushed

SUBIC BAY FREE PORT—Former public-works secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. has reiterated calls for the construction of an access road from Zambales province to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), saying the proposed connection is “imperative to help Zambales take off in terms of trade, tourism and economic development.”

Ebdane said in an interview with newsmen here during the launch of the fortnightly local newspaper Headline Zambales that a highway connecting to SCTEx “will revolutionize the pace of development in Zambales.”

“As the SCTEx has made the Subic Bay Free Port and the nearby city of Olongapo more accessible to tourists, traders and investors, so will the proposed SCTEx artery do wonders for Zambales,” said Ebdane, who is eyeing the Zambales governorship in the coming local elections.

The SCTEx access project was first broached by Zambales First District Rep. Mitos Magsaysay in a dialog with community leaders in Castillejos, Zambales, last week.

Magsaysay, whose political clan has allied with Ebdane for the May elections, revealed that the Magsaysay-Ebdane coalition is pushing for the construction of a road that would connect Castillejos to the SCTEx.

Castillejos, the second town in south Zambales after Olongapo City, is considered a pivotal location because it links the Zambales highway to the Hanjin shipyard in Subic’s Redondo Peninsula.

Magsaysay added that the proposed road will also benefit billion-dollar tourism-development projects in the area, which are funded by foreign investors.

Ebdane said the proposed Castillejos-SCTEx connection will most likely branch out from the Floridablanca segment in Pampanga and will be about 40 kilometers long.

“In a little more than 30 minutes, tourists could access Castillejos from SCTEx, and from here, could also visit other places in Zambales,” he said.

Ebdane also noted that the only route to Zambales for tourists from Manila often becomes congested during holidays and other peak seasons.

“An express lane must be made to make Zambales more accessible to foreign and local tourists,” he said. “Rather than going the usual route, which is through Olongapo, tourists could use the express lane to avoid traffic. That way, they would have more time to spend on the beautiful tourism attractions in the province.”

In the Castillejos dialog, the former DPWH head also acknowledged that roads and other public infrastructures are “essential to the modernization of rural areas in the province.” Written by Henry Empeño / Correspondent Business Mirror

DPWH rushes work on damaged Zambales bridge

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is working round the clock to bring normalcy back to the lives of people in Central Luzon who were affected by the two successive typhoons recently.

On orders from DPWH Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Undersecretary Romeo S. Momo said that in Zambales, one of the areas hardest hit by the storms, they are rushing work on the damaged approaches to the Carael bridge along Olongapo-Bugallon Road which was hit by floodwater and has remained not passable to motorists.

“We are constructing two additional bridge sections and adding 40 linear meters in both approaches, thereby widening the channel by a total of 140 linear meters,” said Momo.

Momo, who is in-charge of the Luzon and Manila operations of the DPWH, said the extension of the bridge and installation of box culverts will cost about P20 million.

As a preventive measure, Momo said they are working to finish work on major flood-mitigating projects such as the P4.12 billion Agno River Flood Control Project (ARFCP)-Phase II in Tarlac and Pangasinan.

He said the ARFCP Phase II involves river improvement works in the 23-kilometer Bayambang-Bautista-Alcala stretch of the Agno River extending from the Wawa Bridge in Bayambang to Alcala.

The project aims to mitigate damages in the Agno River basin caused by recurrent flooding due to the insufficient carrying capacity of the river and the lack of height and width of existing earth dikes to cope with flooding, which has affected towns in Tarlac and Pangasinan since the 90s. By: Jess V. Antiporda - journal online

PGMA visits Zambales to check on victims of typhoon

Iba, Zambales -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cut short her scheduled six-event visit to Guagua, Pampanga yesterday and flew via the Presidential Chopper to Botolan in Zambales to check on the victims ravaged by typhoon Kiko, pledging to fast track rehabilitation and relief operations in the area.

Flash floods swept Barangays San Juan, Paudpod, Batonlapoc, Carael, Paco, San Miguel, Tampo, Beneg, Capayawan and Bangan in Botolan town when the one-kilometer portion of a dike along the Bucao River collapsed due to heavy rains brought about by "Kiko."

The incident effectively isolated five northern towns of this province as strong currents from the river sought a new path destroying a portion of the national highway along Barangay Carael.

Joining the President were Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane and National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Chief Glen Rabonsa.

They were received by Governor Amor Deloso, Zambales 2nd District Congressman Antonio Diaz, Philippine Merchant Marine Academy President Admiral Fidel Diñoso, Philippine Army 7th ID Gen. Ralph Villanueva, Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Director Col. Rolando Felix and Botolan Mayor Rogelio Yap.

In a dialogue with evacuees in Upper San Juan Evacuation Center, PGMA assured them that the national government will closely coordinate with Gov. Deloso in providing some 10,000 victims with alternative housing as their original houses were either totally swept away by floodwaters or are standing but were half or totally buried by mud and sand.

The President also instructed Secretaries Teodoro, Ebdane and Rabonsa to work together to speed up rehabilitation of the damaged dike along Bucao River and the construction of a temporary bridge along the national highway in Carael to connect North and South Zambales.

Meanwhile, Gov. Deloso reported that around P175 Million would be needed to repair the collapsed dike.

He added that the DPWH has already released an initial amount of P5 Million to put up a footbridge and rechanneling of the river that crossed the national highway in Carael.

"Meron initial P3 Million calamity fund na kami na nakalaan sa basic needs ng mga evacuees. We certainly need our friends in the national government to help us in providing them with permanent shelters and lands as the effect of this disaster is truly massive." (PIA)

DESILTING OF RIVERS IN THE CITY CONTINUES

The Olongapo City Government headed by Mayor James ‘’Bong’’ Gordon, Jr. remains steadfast in the implementation of the city’s desilting projects.

City Engineering Office through its Head Engr. Bobby Alvarez said the latest work between the Flood Gate and Anonas Bridge has began.

“Regular desilting of rivers in the city can significantly help prevent flooding during rainy seasons,’’ said Mayor Bong Gordon during the flag raising ceremony of local government employees on March 16, 2009 at the Rizal Triangle Multi-Purpose Center.

“Ilang buwan na lamang ay darating na ang buwan ng tag-ulan kaya mahalaga na ituloy-tuloy natin ang desilting sa mga ilog ng Olongapo. Sa ngayon ay tuloy-tuloy rin ang dredging na ginagawa ng Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) sa Kalaklan at Sta Rita Rivers,’’ Mayor Gordon remarked.

It can be recalled that experts on Land Use and Watershed Management Stan Taylor, Coordinator ng Source Protection Planning and Michael Cooke, Senior Planner of Building and Development, both from the City of Windsor in Ontario, Canada paid a visit to Olongapo recently to conduct a study on the city.

Studies of the two (2) experts from Canada revealed that flooding in the city is mainly caused by a combination of typhoon, high tide and the overflowing of Sta. Rita and Kalaklan Rivers.

“Gusto ko rin ipaalaala na ang mga ilog sa lungsod ay hindi basurahan. Inaatasan ko rin ang Environmental Sanitation and Management Office (ESMO) na ituloy-tuloy ang River Clean-up na ginagawa ng city government sa mga ilog ng lungsod,’’ Mayor Gordon added.

On-going desilting at the creek between the Flood Gate and Anonas Bridge, another valuable project of Mayor Bong Gordon that will help prevent flooding in the city.

Pao/rem

Use I.T. to eliminate graft -- GMA

PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has directed all government agencies to promote transparency and eliminate the potentials of graft and corruption by using information technology in the procurement process.

“This is especially critical for departments and government agencies procuring a lot of supplies and implementing huge projects like the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH),” she pointed out.

“Other departments should follow suit the document tracking system for procurement which, as the DPWH has reported, is already being implemented,” the President noted.

In line with President Arroyo’s directive, the DPWH is adopting the computerized Document Tracking System (DoTS) for procurement of goods in the DPWH Central Office.

In his Department Order No. 56, DPWH Secretary Hermogenes E. Ebdane said that the DPWH Central Office’s procurement of goods which refers to all items, supplies, materials and general support services being utilized in the daily operation of the department are now mandatory to be included in the DoTS System.

Initially, the DoTS System was developed by the DPWH Road Information Monitoring and Management System (RIMMS) and the Monitoring and Information Service (MIS), which aims to utilize information technology in the processing of contractors’ claims on DPWH projects.

DPWH MIS Director Elizabeth Yap said that the computerized procurement system does not only eliminate the possibility of graft and corruption but it will also speed up the processing time of documents from months to a few days.

Among the documents that are now to be integrated in the computerized system are the Annual Procurement Plan, Project Procurement Management Plan, Purchase Request, Agency Purchase Request, Resolution of Award, Purchase Order, Notice of Award/ Notice to Proceed, Disbursement Voucher for regular procurement and Disbursement Voucher for Reimbursement.

Politicos, speculators grabbing SCTEx sites

By FEDERICO D. PASCUAL Jr. - Philippine Star

CLARK FIELD (PLDT/WeRoam) — Work has been going on furiously here to put back the interchanges of the P27-billion Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) that had to be dropped when funds were ambushed by “commissioners” along the 94-kilometer road.

The dropping of the vital Clark interchange has embarrassed President Gloria Arroyo, the patroness of the Clark industrial-tourism zone who has been boasting that this signature project in her home province would spark the rapid development of Central Luzon.

But how can the SCTEx serve Clark, its main client, without an interchange through which raw materials can be received from the Subic port and finished products trucked back for export?

To plug the gap, the Bases Conversion and Development Authority has borrowed some P6.4 billion more from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The JBIC already lent earlier some P23 billion for the entire length of the expressway and the missing interchanges.

* * *

WORK RUSHED: One interchange is being rushed near the Yokohama Tire factory in South Clark, and one each in the towns of Floridablanca and Porac, which are adjacent to this former US air base.

There is another interchange near the Expo Filipino (also known as the Ramos White Elephant) but officials are representing it as an extension of Panday Pira road. Why the fuss over what to call it when it is clearly an interchange because it has an exit and an entrance to the SCTEx?

Officials of BCDA assure us that the Panday Pira interchange will be finished before the yearend and the other one near Yokohama by Feb. 14 as a Valentine’s Day gift.

The interchanges at Porac and Floridablanca may take longer (possibly later next year), because the roads to which they will connect are to be built by the Department of Public Works and Highways, which is not known to work that fast.

* * *

SLOW POKE: Some BCDA officials are afraid that if they rush the Porac and Floridablanca interchanges and complete them without the DPWH roads, they would be accused of having put up White Elephants.

They do not want a repeat of the embarrassing “Bridges to Nowhere” of President Arroyo erected by the British firm Mabey & Johnson even where there was no river or creek to span or in the absence of connecting rural roads.

(The scandal did not faze the local runner of M&J. Emboldened by his Palace connection, he has reportedly found a new principal, a French firm, selling steel bridges that are reportedly 2.5 times more expensive than comparative European bridges in the country.)

Engineers said the Porac and the Floriblanca interchanges are actually not as urgent as Yokohama and Panday Pira in Clark, but that the projects are political commitments of somebody in Malacañang.

* * *

SPECULATORS: But the biggest news here at the moment about the interchanges is the frenzied real estate transactions and speculation involving business-minded politicians.

Some technicians tell us that while the owners of land hit by the interchanges have to haggle to get a good price under expropriation proceedings, speculators and officials with insider information gobble up adjacent property at higher prices.

One landowner with property near one interchange is being offered in court only P150 per square meter, while well-connected officials and their business associates have cornered adjacent property for much more.

One interchange being eyed with suspicion, also with jealousy, is the interchange in barangay Dolores in Mabalacat. This is in addition to another interchange, also in the same town, in barangay Mabiga where motorists from North Luzon Expressway enter SCTEx.

We have not heard of a good explanation for the redundancy. Having two interchanges in one town and adding two more right in Clark does not seem to make sense to many observers.

* * *

DESERTED ROAD: A drive through the SCTEx prompts one to ask how the expressway can pay for itself with its scanty traffic.

Driving from Clark to Subic and back, for instance, one hardly sees other vehicles on the road. At the toll rate being charged, the road will not be able to earn enough for its upkeep, much less to pay for the P27 billion borrowed from Japan to build it.

That is just vehicular traffic, most of which consist of a few weekenders and sightseers. As for the trucks and vans supposedly laden with raw materials for the factories in Clark, one hardly sees them.

Despite its obvious design deficiencies, the road is a beautiful experience for Filipinos used to bad roads and who have not traveled abroad. The scenery is still pleasant — until the strip beside the expressway starts getting dotted with squatter shanties and billboards, which may not be far off.

* * *

NO TURNING: Motorists should be warned that there is no exit or U-turn anywhere between Clark and Dinalupihan in Bataan, which are about 50 kilometers apart.

If one enters the expressway and changes his mind or realizes a mistake about which direction he should take, there is no way he can turn around. He has to drive the entire length between Dinalupihan and Clark to go back.

As for the question of why there are no lights, making the expressway dangerous for night driving, motorists are forewarned that they have nothing but their headlights and the reflectorized signs to guide them.

By and large, however, the SCTEx is a good road. Driving through it is an experience — like driving on an expressway abroad — that one wants to talk about.

RIZAL AVENUE ONGOING REPAIRS

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has been conducting major road works on Rizal Avenue, a major road in Olongapo City that is part of the National Highway, from the public market to the Ulo ng Apo rotunda for the past few weeks. According to DPWH, the job aims to prevent the impending deterioration of the road due to wear and tear.

“Marami na kasing mga ‘scalings’ o lumalabas na bato mula sa konkreto ng kalsada. Marami na ring mga bitak ang kalsada. Kapag pumasok ang tubig sa mga bitak na ito, lalambot at masisira ang pundasyon o ang ‘base course’ ng konkreto at magiging uneven ang surface ng kalsada.’ explained Armando Alqueza, project manager ng DPWH.

To avoid congestion, the repairs are being done in parts. The road can be used after a week of the concrete overlay.

Funded by Senator Richard Gordon’s ‘Priority Development Assistance Fund’ (PDAF), the project started on May and is expected to be finished by the end of July.

Alqueza explained that the fund for the repairs is provided by the national government and cannot be used for repairs of barangay roads due to legal limitations.

The current road work by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) at Rizal Avenue. The project is funded by Senator Richard Gordon.

PAO/don

PGMA releases P500M for ‘Cosme’ victims

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Friday ordered the release of P500 million for emergency shelter assistance to victims of typhoon Cosme following an aerial inspection in Lingayen, Pangasinan and in Sta. Cruz, Zambales to personally see the damage wrought to the calamity-affected areas.

Arroyo also led the distribution of about 5,000 sacks of rice, P263,000 worth of reconstructions materials from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority including 200 pieces corrugated GI sheets, and 200 pieces of plywood in Zambales.

The President ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) to use the P500 million mostly for the purchase of additional corrugated GI sheets. SunStar


President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is briefed Friday by Sta. Cruz Mayor Luisito Marty about the heavy damaged wrought by typhoon Cosme to his town with 4,000 houses destroyed, century trees rooted out and schoolhouses and government building almost wiped out. (OPS photo)

= = =

'Cosme' death toll now 53

THE death toll from tropical storm Cosme has risen to 53, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said.

NDCC deputy administrator Anthony Golez Jr. also said as of Friday night, the number of persons affected by the storm has so far gone up to 252,000.

Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo

"As of 6 p.m. Friday, 53 were dead while 29 were injured. There was also heavy damage to houses," Golez said on government-run dzRB radio.

NDCC records showed that 252,000 families were affected in 1,459 villages in 73 towns and seven cities in five provinces in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Western Visayas and Cordillera.

Golez said Zambales and Pangasinan remain the worst-hit areas. He added a total of 31,000 houses were destroyed while 84,000 houses were damaged.

Meanwhile, Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino Jr. is dismayed with the nonchalant reaction of some Cabinet secretaries to the devastation suffered by the province brought about by the typhoon.

He lamented that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo does not know the exact extent of the damage in the province as the Cabinet secretaries were not giving her correct information.

"We hope that the Cabinet secretaries do their homework and give more accurate reports to the President," he said.

Arroyo presided the NDCC meeting held here Friday morning. Among those present were NDCC chairman and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Education Secretary Jesli Lapuz, and Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

The governor said Lapuz reported to the President that there were 14 classrooms totally damaged province-wide, when in fact the partial number has already reached 615.

He said the Department of Health (DOH) also reported that it already spent more than P490,000 worth of medicines and medical supplies for Pangasinan, but the province only received 586 pieces of Aquatablet water disinfectant that costs about P10 each.

Espino also doubted if the relief goods were really distributed properly to the typhoon victims. The Department of Social Welfare and Development earlier said that it has given P947,000 worth of relief goods here.

"We will see. The people should know if their government is really helping them," he said. (JMR/LCMY/Sunnex)

DREDGING OPERATION, NAANTALA!

Binalaan ni City Mayor James ‘’Bong’’ Gordon, Jr. ang mga masasamang elementong responsable sa pagkawala ng ‘ball joint’ ng dredging machine ng Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) na umantala sa operasyon nito.

‘’Nais kong ipa-alam sa ating mga constituents na ang mga kahalintulad na insidente ay maaring mag-resulta ng negatibong epekto sa atin. Kapag nasira o may nawalang bahagi ang dredging machine, ito ay maaaring i-pull-out ng DPWH at titigil ang mga dredging projects sa lungsod na magre-resulta naman sa muling pag-baha sa mga mabababang barangay,’’ pahayag ni Mayor Bong Gordon.

Gayunman, agaran ring na-recover ang nawalang ‘ball joint’ bunga ng tawag na natanggap ng Olongapo City Police Office (OCPO) buhat sa isang concerned-resident ng Brgy. New Banicain nitong ika-27 ng Abril 2008 malapit sa New Banicain river.

Batay sa spot report ng Police Station 2, tinungo ng mga kawani ng OCPO, ilang opisyales ng barangay at kinatawan ng DPWH ang lugar at positibong itinuro ang nawawalang ‘ball joint’ ng dredging machine at na-recover sa may Banicain Fishport.

Sa kasalukuyan ay patuloy na tinutukoy ng OCPO ang mga suspect o suspects sa na-recover na ‘ball joint’ na nagkakahalaga ng tatlumpong-libong (P 30,000.00) piso. Ang ‘ball joint’ ay isang pipeline part ng dredging machine.

‘’Dahil sa pagkawala ng ‘ball point’ ay pansamantala ring nahinto ang dredging operasyon,’’ wika ni DPWH District Engr. Edward Ramos.

Sa ngayon, ay naka-daong ang dredging machine sa ‘bunganga’ ng Kalaklan River at magre-resume ng operation kapag naikabit na ang na-recover na ball joint.

Ang na-recover na ‘’ball joint’’ ng dredging machine na kasalukuyang naka-angkla sa ‘bunganga’ ng Kalaklan River.Pao/rem

DESILTING SA MGA ILOG PAKINABANG NG LAHAT

Patuloy ang mga isinasagawang dredging sa ‘bunganga’ ng Kalaklan River gamit ang dredging machine samantalang tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang desilting sa Sta Rita River.

Ang paghuhukay sa mga pangunahing ilog sa lungsod ay kaugnay sa atas ni City Mayor James ‘’Bong’’ Gordon, Jr. sa Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) na linisin ang mga ito upang maagapan ang pag-apaw ng tubig sa lungsod na sanhi ng pagbabaha sa panahon ng tag-ulan.

Ang desilting ang ginagawang katugunan ng City Government upang maiwasan ang pag-babaw ng mga ilog bunga na rin ng pagbaba ng lupa buhat sa mga bundok at para maiwasan ang pagbabaha. Ginagamit ang dredging machine para sa regular na desilting partikular sa mga bahagi ng Sta. Rita River, Mabayuan River, Cabalan River, East Bajac-Bajac Channel, Drainage Channel, Kalaklan River, lalo na sa bukana nito sa Subic Bay.

Matatandaan na kamakailan ay bumisita at nagsagawa ng pag-aaral sa lungsod ang mga eksperto sa Land Use and Watershed Management na sina Stan Taylor, Coordinator ng Source Protection Planning at Michael Cooke, Senior Planner ng Building and Development mula sa Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Sa pag-aaral ng mga technical experts, ipinunto nila na ang karaniwang dahilan ng pagbabaha sa lungsod ay ang kombinasyon ng bagyo, high tide, at pag-apaw ng ilog ng Sta. Rita at Kalaklan.

Dahil sa flood prone areas na maituturing ang Sta. Rita at Pag-asa, nagsagawa rin ng pagsisiyasat ukol sa riverbank stabilization sa mga ilog na nabanggit na lugar upang makontrol ang flood flows. Sa suwestyon ng mga eksperto, kinakailangan ng matinding paghuhukay ng mga lupang bumababa mula sa mga bundok patungong ilog na nagiging sanhi ng pagbabaha sa lungsod.

Sa tuloy-tuloy na desilting ay malaking tulong ito upang maagapan ang pagbaha sa lungsod sa panahon nang tag- ulan.

Nasa larawan ang on-going dredging sa Kalaklan River na proyekto ni Mayor Bong Gordon.Pao/rem

Public works chief wants Subic-Clark infra projects expedited

Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office to fast-track two major infrastructure projects in Central Luzon which are included in President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Subic-Clark Development Program.

Bonoan, in his visit to this component city, reported the DPWH's fast implementation of the Manila North Road (MNR) widening project and the rehabilitation of Gapan-San Fernando-Olongapo (GSO) Road.

His instruction was directed to DPWH Regional Director Alfredo Tolentino, who was recently installed to the position after his predecessor Ramon Aquino was elevated to DPWH assistant secretary.

"These projects will not only decongest traffic in Central Luzon but also in Metro Manila as it speeds up travel from the metropolis towards the Clark and Subic Economic Zone," Bonoan said.

He claimed the projects, once completed, would accelerate and improve socio-economic activities in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Bataan, Olongapo, Zambales and Tarlac by increasing investment and employment opportunities in the area.

"To further improve the country's road network especially in Northern Luzon, we are conducting detailed engineering evaluation on the possible extension of North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) from Tarlac to La Union which is now included in National Economic and Development Authorities' (Neda's) list of priority projects for funding" Bonoan also said.

Last week, the Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) formally turned over to the DPWH the newly rehabilitated 1.4-kilometer access road linking Manila North Road to Nlex.

Bonoan and MNTC president Jose de Jesus and other DPWH officials led the turnover ceremony.

Through a memorandum of agreement (MOA), the MNTC rehabilitated the P20-million access road and eventually transferred it to the DPWH for maintenance and monitoring, the core objective of the agency's "Bantay Lansangan" (National Road Watch) Program.

Bonoan will sign Wednesday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the national stakeholders, represented by the lead coordinating entity, the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN).

"Bantay Lansangan is one of the DPWH reform efforts to enjoin the participation of the stakeholders in closely monitoring the situation of national roads," Bonoan said.

The Bantay Lansangan Program is a partnership that aims to mobilize non-government and private stakeholders to work with the DPWH and other government agency in enhancing the delivery of quality national road services responsive to users needs through efficient and transparent use of public resources.

Among the national stakeholder categories that will be represented in the MOU are National Road Asset Managers, Road Service Providers, Road Users, Governance Advocates, Regulators and Enforcers, Government Anti-Graft Agencies, Citizen and Elective Representatives, Centers of Expertise, Media, and Government Development Partners.

Included in the program are monitoring and assessment of implementation and maintenance of DPWH projects, provision of vital information on national road services through media and international networking, advocacy on greater public awareness and transparency, education of stakeholders on the basic DPWH operation, and training of stakeholders on effective monitoring.

"This program will not only increase the public's access to information on DPWH projects, but it will also lessen if not totally eradicate graft and corruption in our road building and maintenance efforts," Bonoan said. (ABL)