CABANATUAN CITY – Mayor Julius Cesar Vergara asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to submit to the city government its detailed plans and program of works on the on-going re-blocking activities on several sections of national roads here which caused woes to commuters, especially students.
Vergara said the lack of systematic action in the implementation of the P11.2-million Cabanatuan City-Papaya Road and the P35.5-million Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road has resulted to undue sufferings of city residents.
Nueva Ecija-Aurora Road links eastern Ecija municipalities and Aurora to this urbanized city while Cabanatuan City-Papaya Road to the southern parts of the province. Vergara said he got the full grasp of the situation in such roads when he made it part of his 12- to 20-kilometer daily walk upon receiving complaints from constituents.
Tinitingnan ko kung tama ba yung ginagawa nila,” he said. Vergara has sent a formal letter to the Nueva Ecija Engineering District Office 2 (NEED2) where he also urged the office to submit its construction safety, health program and traffic management plan.
“Napakaraming mga problema ang nakita ko, kaya sabi ko ihinto yang kalokohan na yan dahil unang una a hindi man lang maglagay ng flagman,” he said. The mayor assailed the lack of consultation with the local government, which he stressed is a requirement of the law, that may have caused the chaos.
The projects are being implemented by Lisa Construction and FL Reguyal Construction Corp. Ulysses Llado, chief of NEED 2, admitted that commuters sometimes get stuck for as long as one hour in construction areas. He advised drivers to be cautious even as he vowed to do everything to ease the woes of commuters.
