The photos taken by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) posted on this page Sept. 2 showing the hellish Olutanga-Alicia Road in Zamboanga Sibugay caught the attention of President Rody Duterte and he cracked the whip.
With just one communication from the Office of the President addressed to the Department of Public Works and Highways, road building equipment and machinery sprung into action.
Portions of the highway where vehicles were stuck for days because of the deep mud were immediately repaired.
The 29-kilometer Olutanga-Alicia Highway is being constructed with over P900-M budget funded by the Asian Development Bank.
It was awarded to a Zamboanga City-based construction company, M. Abubakar Construction and Engineering, which was obviously ill-equipped to handle the project.
Even during the rainy season, the contractor scraped the whole stretch of the road turning it into a muddy mess with vehicles stuck or falling by the side.
When MinDA posted the photos following my visit to Olutanga last week, the contractor accused me of being unfair.
They said the rains and the soil type were to be blamed for the mess.
After the President saw the photos, DPWH officials ordered the contractor to make immediate repairs.
Voila! In one week, it was completed.
This should serve as a lesson to all those undertaking critical government projects in Mindanao.
The President has eyes and ears in Mindanao and I also make endless rounds to make sure that people’s grievances are heard.
#KailanganPalaPRRDBulyaw!
#KayaNamanPalaDamiDahilan!
#TouchGroundFeelThePulse!
(Images were dowloaded from the report submitted by DPWH to the Office of the President.)
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