iBOONDOCK

Aha. We hope someone will bring a formal complaint to the Senate. Maybe the iMPACT group should make this its undertaking as a follow-up of the signature campaign last year? If the Senate does conduct an investigation, the most important thing would be evidence, evidence, and evidence. We hope someone in the know would be willing to spill out what s/he knows.

Senate ready to probe Halsema rehab project
Sunstar Baguio

THE Senate committee on public works is willing to investigate complaints on the implementation of phase 2 of the Halsema Highway rehabilitation project.

Committee chairman Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. said any complaint over alleged anomalies committed will be immediately investigated once the issue is brought to the Senate’s attention.

In a coring test done by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in September last year, a portion of Mt. Data to Bontoc section failed the inspection. This prompted the agency to issue a remove-and-replace order to the contractor.

The rehabilitation of this section is under investigation by both the Office of the Ombudsman and the Presidential Anti Graft Commission (PAGC) for alleged overpricing and partiality in the selection of contractors to handle the project.

Funded by the Office of the President and the Mountain Province District Engineering Office (MPDEO), phase 2 of the project amounts to P1.905 billion.

Halsema highway is the major access route to the Cordilleras, coming from Baguio City.

The project aims to provide basic infrastructure which would support the attainment of the development objectives of the country and to enhance the social and economic progress in the countryside. (RO)

Related posts on the Halsema Project:
Questions, Questions, and a Suggestion
An Open Letter to All i-Mountain Province
Safety First
Project Watch: Complaining Does Produce Results

What is CHARM-P (Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project)? Is it the success story that some of its supporters say it is? Or is it just one of those foreign funded projects that were quite successful in producing glossy brochures and voluminous reports (complete with vision, mission, goals, and bar graphs, and pie charts) but had very little impact in Cordillera communities?

Note: Click picture to expand. To read the article “Charm Offensive” by Rita Festin, click here.

In the first place do we have to have her inaugurate everything? Like she has no more important things to do? But wait, she really has no more important things to do.

From the Inquirer:
Top public works officials will no longer wait for President Macapagal-Arroyo to open the city’s controversial flyover, whose construction she once tried to stop.

The flyover “will open to all types of vehicles 14 days after Tuesday (Jan. 14),” which is Jan. 28, according to Public Works Undersecretary Ramon Aquino. It needed “further curing” over two weeks, he said.

Ms Arroyo’s schedule was no longer “an issue,” Aquino told the Inquirer on Friday, when he supervised a “final inspection” of the flyover together with the quality assessment team of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Read full story.

INFO SOURCE: Inquirer. PHOTO CREDIT: Aldrin Zapata

Well, we’re sure you know that we’re not a fan of Baguio Congressman Mauricio Domogan (note: we used to like him when he was starting his political career) but we’re giving him credit for putting up a website which provides details on where his pork barrel is going. So let’s give the Congressman points for transparency. We hope that other Cordillera officials are just as transparent with their use of public funds so their constituents can see where these are being spent.

In the case of Congressman Domogan, click here if you like to see where he budgeted his pork barrel.

Now, it’s up to the people of Baguio to investigate if the projects listed by their Representative are worth the money that were supposedly poured into them. If they are, then we should give more points to Morris. If the projects turn out to be “for compliance only”, then we should deduct points from him.

What do you think?

IMAGE CREDIT: morrisdomogan.com