ANGELES CITY – Super Mario. The Petronas Twin Towers. Inflatable Tube Men. The Leaning Tower of Pisa multiplied. The Fushimi-Inari Torii. Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay. And more. Much more. All in this city!
The creative imagination of netizens soared to new heights with their memes on the unfinished Cutcut Flyover Project here. In some kind of satirical glee over what they now felt as a “failed” project. Or some vindictive recompense for the hardships they have endured at the traffic-choked area, the raised hope of its solution by the project, and the now apparent worse gridlock the massive pier columns would cause.
How did it come to this?
In August 2019, at the opening of Fortunegate Casino at the Clark Freeport, Sen. Lito Lapid proudly proclaimed that we would “provide funding for the construction of the Angeles-Porac Flyover.” So was reported in local media.
The senator from Porac was quoted as saying that “the volume of traffic in Barangay Cutcut particularly the intersection near the Holy Family Academy necessitated the need for a flyover to ensure smooth flow of traffic.”
Further, “residents of Angeles City and Porac town will also benefit from the proposed flyover while passengers of the Clark International Airport that will come from these areas can easily access the airport.”
In April 2021, notices announcing the start of the flyover construction and warning of heavy traffic were posted around the project site, along with a blown-up portrait of a barong-clad Lapid.
Epal
The photo promptly raised a collective howl of “Epal” in the web, and just as promptly was taken down.
A check with the Department of Public Works and Highways revealed that the 2020-2021 General Appropriations Act allotted P50 million while the agency’s United Project Management Office allocated another P50 million for the project. There was no mention of any fund coming from or lobbied by Lapid for the flyover.
Construction ensued, massive traffic jams gripped the area at all hours of day, after day, after day. The hapless motorists though consoled by the thought of smooth flows once the flyover is finished.
Hopes were raised with the massive pier columns rising. Only to be dashed on July 2 with a breaking story from CLTV-36 teased on Facebook thus: “Hindi raw alam ng DPWH kung kailan matatapos ang Cutcut Flyover dahil hindi napondohan ang Phase 3 nito na nagkakahalaga ng P150 million. Natigil na ang construction works sa lugar at naiwang nakatiwangwang ang mga poste ng imprastraktura.”
Thence followed the torrents of memes ridiculing the project and the comments they generated that run the gamut of calls for incompetence to denunciations of corruption.
Amid all these, not a squeak from Lapid.
A DPWH insider who asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak on the matter told Punto! the Cutcut Flyover “is a multi-year project where national fund is allocated per year.” He said the budget for 2020 was released only in 2021 as FLR (for later release) as an effect of the realignment of the national budget to higher priorities rising from the coronavirus pandemic. If only to fast track the project, the DPWH has already requested for funds needed even if the next funding release will be next year yet, he said.
In a meeting on Monday, DPWH District Engineer Arleen Beltran reported to Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin that his agency has sought P400 million more from the Department of Budget and Management to finish the Cutcut Flyover.
Beltran said Phases 1 and 2 of the P500-million project are already completed and they are just awaiting for the 2021 funds to be released by the national government.
In the meantime, Lazatin urged the DPWH to install protective barriers and reflectors along the road to prevent accident in the area especially at night.
DPWH said the painting of the pier columns to make them more visible at night is set to be finished July 7.
Meanwhile, motorists and commuters have to stretch their sacrificial patience through traffic hell at the junction of the Angeles-Porac Road and the Circumferential Road.
(Memes and photos credited to owners)
