Tondo folk hope for road completion

For the nth time in their quest for a habitable housing site, an association of lot owners and residents in Manila’s second district once again expressed optimism that the concreting and drainage improvement in their area will now finally be completed with the second term of Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

"Atienza’s grandiose plan for his Buhayin ang Maynila program which he started in his first term will not be a reality until his integrated urban development project is fulfilled," Florentino Limjap, board member of the Geronimo-Manotoc Awardees Association, said.

The association members, beneficiaries of the local government’s "Land for the Landless Program," told The STAR that they have exhausted all available means to call on the government to act on the unfinished road opening and widening of Dagupan Extension in Tondo.

According to the residents, the Dagupan Extension project is crucial to the integrated development of the area, since when finished, these roads will decongest the heavy volume of traffic along Juan Luna and Tayuman.

The road project has been on the drawing table for over 25 years now, according to the residents. The project was re-started in January, 1999 following a series of articles in newspapers which chronicled the plight of the lot owners.

Residents claimed the concreting and widening of the 400-meter long Dagupan Extension was abruptly stopped after some 78-meters were asphalted due to the failure of local officials to provide habitable relocation sites for affected families whose houses stand on Dagupan street’s right-of-way.

This time, the residents are pinning their hope on Atienza’s pronouncements before the election that he intends to reactivate various stalled public housing and integrated urban development projects in the city, vowing to finish them in his second term.

The residents said the uncompleted construction only made their life worse due to unbearable flash floods during the rainy months, irregular garbage collection, and the absence of police visibility.

"We are optimistic that with the mayor’s second term, this long-delayed road project would be finished and our nightmares will be over," the residents said.– Nestor Etolle