MMDA bucks daily road repairs during summer

MANILA, Philippines - The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Friday said it would oppose the plan of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to conduct road repairs everyday this summer.

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino said daily reblocking or road repairs would greatly inconvenience the public.

"Hindi pwede yun. Traffic yun. Hindi nila binibigay yung plano for the rest of the year, binibigay lang nila yung listahan ng irereblock nila for the weekend every Wednesday, inaaprove ng Thursday, sisimulan nila ng Friday tapos sinasabi nila nadedelay, sila ang delay magsubmit. Sila ang delay kasi hindi sila nagsusubmit ng maaga," he said.

"Kawawa ang tao, hindi ako papayag na araw araw sila magreblock Ang sinabi ko sa kanila tapusin nila ng one week, Holy Week Dapat yung one year na irereblock isubmit na nila. Mas mapapag- aralan natin at maibabalanse . Isang assessment lang hindi yung partial partial," Tolentino added.

DPWH-National Capital Region director Reynaldo Tagudando earlier said he intends to ask the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for permission to “work every day on concrete reblocking” once classes end.

Classes in  public elementary and high schoolss are scheduled to go on a summer break starting the last week of March.

Considering the backlog on their road repair program, Tagudando said he is hoping that MMDA would allow them to continue working even during weekdays until the second week of June.

The DPWH is currently allowed to do road repairs only on weekends.

In his proposal, Tagudando said their road repairs cover EDSA and other national roads.

“There are still a lot of concrete re-blockings that have not yet been done. Only 50 percent of our concrete re-blocking program for 2013 has been completed. If we only work during weekends, these projects would spill over up to 2015, not to mention that there are other concrete re-blocking activities that are also lined up for 2014,” he said.

Tagudando also said the DPWH will coordinate with utility firms to avoid instances when these firms would dig up roads that have been repaired.