DPWH to buy 9 lots for flyover next week

The Department of Public Works and Highways is expected to pay next week the owners of the nine critical lots to be used to widen Gov. Mariano Cuenco Ave. for the Banilad-Talamban flyover project.

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Councilor Lea Jopson said the Department of Budget and Management regional office has already processed the money for payment.

Jopson said DPWH has assured that the money will be paid to the owners of the critical lots on or before July 25.  There are nine critical lots needed for the widening located along the stretch of Gov. Mariano Cuenco Avenue.

The lot owners have initially consented to have their properties utilized for widening even without payment but later on changed their minds after recalling incidents of delay in payment on the part of DPWH.

Jopson said the owners of the critical lots even requested her to also affix her signature in the contract with DPWH but the councilor declined for reasons of propriety.  She said it is not within her capacity to vouch for DPWH, considering that she is with the city government.

The property owners have consented to sell their properties to the national government at P15,000 per square meter “pending protest.”

The project’s contractor, WTG, earlier said it can finish the flyover by this month, but this is no longer possible because of the hitches in road widening.

If Gov. Mariano Cuenco Ave. is not widened, the contractor would have been forced to close the street if only to meet the July deadline.  But that would mean further inconvenience to the public.

The 390-meter flyover stretches from near the Banilad Town Center up to the Llama Construction Building along Gov. Mariano Cuenco Avenue.  The project would need 4,200 square meters for the road right of way alone.

Construction was supposed to start November last year but was postponed until February this year after the initial budget was not enough to cover the expenses, especially for the purchase of the road right of way.

At that time, the zonal valuation of the Bureau of Internal Revenue drastically increased in a span of one month from October to November 2007, thus, the P126.5 million initial budget was not enough.

In January, however, the Senate and the House of Representatives approved the report of the bicameral conference committee on the 2008 national budget with amendments, among which is the additional P50 million for the flyover, just four days before the scheduled start of construction last February 1. 

DPWH earlier said the P80 million initial budget and the additional P50 million for the road right of way will be released by June 15.  By then, DPWH would be able to release payment for the properties that would be affected by the road widening. —  Joeberth M. Ocao/BRP