UNDERSTANDING. Mayor Pamintuan brokers understanding and cooperation between city business leaders and DPWH on the on-going road construction that has adversely affected daily commerce and trade.
Photo by Bong Lacson
ANGELES CITY – “We are doing our best to ease your burden and in the end help in the progress of your areas.”
Thus thee Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) assured affected owners of business establishments in the areas of its on-going asphalt overlaying, road widening and drainage construction activities along the MacArthur Highway from Barangay Balibago here all the way to Barangay Sto. Domingo and back to Barangay Sto. Rosario.
DPWH Region 3 headed by Regional Director Antonio Molano Jr. has also assured Mayor Ed Pamintuan that they are doing their best to mitigate the burden of the affected establishments as he also appealed to the affected owners of businesses in the construction area for their cooperation.
Pamintuan met yesterday with members of the affected business community and DPWH Region 3 executives led by Molano at the city hall to find solutions on how to mitigate their burden brought about by the on-going road constriction.
Molano assured Pamintuan that the asphalt overlay on the stretch of the MacArthur Highway along Sto. Rosario Street from the junction near the Super 8 Supermarket in Barangay Sto. Domingo all the way to Rizal Street will be finished before June 12 in time for the city’s celebration of the country’s Independence Day.
But a representative of the bankers’ association complained that their clients are being greatly inconvenienced by the on-going construction. He said they will be forced to relocate their establishments if the road widening will affect their parking areas.
In another area of construction, Molano said the DPWH contractor has completed about 35 to 40 percent of the drainage along the MacArthur Highway from Astro Park to the Robinsons area and the target completion date is on September 1.
Molano said this is in preparation for the scheduled road widening of the entire stretch of the MacArthur Highway in February or March next year which was already approved for inclusion in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Molano said that on the other side of the highway, the drainage construction is from Velvet Trading near Systems Plus School down to the Balibago Creek.
Molano said another on-going road construction site is after the Abacan Bridge southbound up to the Caltex Gasoline Station in Marisol Subdivision. From there, he said, construction is on-going from the Starbucks Coffee Shop up to the rotonda in Barangay Sto. Domingo.
Molano said the commitment of EML Construction is to finish the project by September 30. EML construction representative Engr. AngeLito Magat said the work involves both road-widening and drainage construction.
However, Magat appealed to Pamintuan for assistance from thieves who steal various construction materials including parts of heavy equipment like breakers used in the construction.
Meanwhile, Pamintuan urged the DPWH to fasttrack their construction since the rainy season is about start.
