Yesterday, we saw on television the documentation of the destruction of the coastal road in Baler, Aurora.
What we saw exposed the connivance between the inspector from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the contractor of the concrete highway by the sea. Perhaps, similar connivance in several other areas in the country is also the rule for such an infrastructure project.
Yes, the incessant slamming of the big wares direct from the Pacific Ocean – courtesy of typhoon ‘Uwan’ – to the highway rendered the side of the road like it was blasted by hundreds of dynamites that the cement broke into slabs and smaller pieces.
There, we saw the concrete pavement with hardly any steel bars. If at all, there were a few, it was very clear that the size of the bars was 8 or 10 mm. Moreover, the sizes of the slabs of the destroyed road pavement clearly indicate that the cement mixture was not the one required for road concreting.
The situation of the Baler road project is actually no alien to us. In Davao City, specifically in rural barangays like ours, we were personally witness to the way the concreting was done by the contractor. Other than tampering with the base before the concrete mixture was poured, we did not see steel bars laid out on the tampered base. Instead, in equal distances, the contractor put roughly two feet of 16 mm bars on the edge of both sides of the cemented road, letting one half of the length protrude, giving road users the impression that steel bars are indeed installed with the cement.
In the case of inspecting the quality of the concrete mixture in that particular concreting project in our barangay a few years back, the DPWH inspector was led by the contractor to a portion of the road where the concrete mixture was in accordance with the standard specification.
Now, back to the destructive calamities, Davao City is just lucky that it has not become a normal path of typhoons. Otherwise, we would have enough reason to worry about the construction of the city’s new pride – the Davao Coastal Highway.
Of course, the project contractor is not local. It is from the very country that also gave the Philippines a loan to finance the Coastal highway.
And if at all, some shrewd Philippine officials managed to extract money from the contractor, there is no doubt that it will recover the amount in whatever manner it can.
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Indeed, the owner of the Navarra pick-up vehicle that flipped on the Davao-Bukidnon Road somewhere at the Lower Kibalang section, will experience a serious problem on how to deal with the death and injuries of the hitch-riders.
Yes, considering that the pick-up is privately owned, any third-party liability other than the designated driver and immediate family members will definitely be outside the coverage of the vehicle’s insurance policy.
While we are certain that the driver of the pick-up could have allowed the hitch-riders out of goodwill, more so if they were his acquaintances, the insurance rules are very clear.
We can only hope that the vehicle owner has the needed resources and that he or she is willing to part with it for the sake of the victims and their families – and the driver, of course.
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It appears that media personality Ramon “Mon” Tulfo is again showing that he is far from being vulnerable to harm and other possible negative repercussions. In a recent social media post, Tulfo did not mince words in saying that there is a “destabilization plot” by a group identified with the Duterte-led opposition.
The target of the so-called “destabilization” is, of course, the government of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., and not only did Tulfo mention the plot, he did not hesitate to name the leading personalities behind it.
One of those Tulfo named is Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong. And he did it even though the mayor’s supposed participation is still “for confirmation.”
Who does the columnist expect to confirm Magalong’s participation in the plot, from the Baguio City Mayor himself? The other personalities he named?
Also, what does the elder brother of the two Senators Tulfo expect to be done by the alleged destabilizers, the outcome of the destabilization efforts? Another People Power driving Marcos, Jr. from Malacanang?
Personally, we are not ruling out the possibility of a “destabilization plot.” But if the organizers succeed, can they guarantee that whoever assumes as new head of government will run it the way the “destabilizers” expected?
However, a cursory look at the initial names provided by Tulfo such a guarantee is unlikely.
