Mindanaotoday.com | ‘Coordination’ between gov’t offices urged to avoid another traffic congestion in Oro
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The city council tackled on Monday, June 19, the heavy traffic congestion that happened on June 17 due to a project construction in Barangay Puerto here that surprised the motorists, expressing that the reason behind it could be the alleged lack of coordination between government offices.
Councilor John Michael Seno, chairman of the city council’s committee on public works, stressed the importance of “coordination” after he heard the exchange of statements between the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA).
“At the end of the day, we are still one government. The DPWH is a government [agency] and the RTA is also a government [office]. We should be harmonized in providing service,” said Seno in a mix of English and vernacular, adding that the dissemination of the road closure advisory should also be coordinated with the City Information Office.
In a June 18 interview with iFM Cagayan de Oro, RTA assistant department head Engr. Nonito Oclarit was told by his enforcers that the traffic congestion happened in the said area because the RTA allegedly did not follow the traffic scheme provided by the DPWH-Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Engineering Office.
The RTA high-ranking official clarified that DPWH did not provide a traffic scheme in relation to the said project, which started on April 24 this year and has a target completion date of February 6, 2024.
However, Engr. Sandy Manticahon, project engineer of the DPWH-Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Engineering Office, also told iFM Cagayan de Oro that the provision of the traffic scheme was part of the requirements before they could obtain the permit.
The Executive Order issued by the local government here on May 18 for the temporary traffic scheme for the construction of the Puerto Bridge was also presented by the DPWH as proof.
It can be recalled that many motorists suffered heavy traffic congestion, particularly from Barangay Agusan to Barangay Bugo here, which, accordingly, lasted for more or less five hours.
Councilor Malvern Esparcia, who served as rejoinder on Seno’s special report, said he did not see a single advisory about the road closure on social media, stressing the lack of coordination among the government offices.
“We in the government did not all coordinate. And it is so funny that we are passing on who’s to blame: the LGU (Local Government Unit), the RTA, or the DPWH,” said Esparcia in vernacular.
“This is not a joke that you were stuck in traffic for three to four hours,” he added.
The said project first covered the two lanes along the Butuan City-Cagayan de Oro City-Iligan City Road in Barangay Puerto, but Seno said the project contractor temporarily fixed the one lane in order to be used by motorists and resolve the traffic congestion.
Also, the RTA here has already coordinated with the LGUs of Manolo Fortich and Libona in Bukidnon to divert the truck vehicles in the province and use instead the Libona road going to Barangay Indahag in this city.
With the given target date of completion of the project in Brgy. Puerto, Seno also stressed the need for another traffic management plan in Brgy. Indahag, considering that there is an upcoming road widening project to be constructed there, covering four lanes.
To avoid the same incident in the future, Seno’s committee is working on the passing of an ordinance creating the Engineering and Infrastructure Management Board that aims to tackle the infrastructure projects one year ahead in order to have smooth implementation.
The special report of Seno and Esparcia was being referred to the committees of Infrastructure and public utilities for further discussion.
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