P286 million Benguet road upgrade stalled

SABLAN, Benguet, Philippines — The upgrade of a P286-million Benguet road system in this town has been delayed after the local government stopped the implementation of the project.

The upgrade was intended to hasten the transport of farm produce and other government services in areas covered by the project.

Lawyer Edward Raymund Palsiw, counsel for private construction firm PHESCO Inc., told journalists on Friday that the closure orders issued earlier by former mayor Manuel Munar Jr. and incumbent Mayor Alfredo Dacumos against the company’s batching plant delayed the completion of the project.

Palsiw said the batching plant is crucial in the delivery of concrete materials that would be used for the road system.

He said it has been almost four months since the construction was stopped.

The batching plant is equipped with support facilities and has a certificate of non-coverage from the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, he said.

“The batching plant is mobile and removable once the project is completed,” Palsiw said.

In the closure order issued on Sept. 28, Dacumos said the batching plant was operating without a business or mayor’s permit, and outside the industrial zone.

A dialogue is scheduled tomorrow to settle the issue, Dacumos said.