Citizens Infrastructure Integrity WatchDog (InfraWatch)

13 August 2012 HON. ROGELIO L. SINGSON Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bonifacio Ave., Port Area, Manila, Metro Manila Dear Secretary Singson, We are writing to you anent the P53 Million Dungon Bridge in Iloilo City, which was reported in the Manila Bulletin today to be 99 percent complete. Funding of the two-lane reconstruction of the bridge was from the initial funding of P36.0 Million from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of Iloilo City Congressman Jerry P.Treas. (Attached is a photocopy of the newspaper clipping in the Manila Bulletin.) The source of the news item is from Engineer Rodney Gustilo, Chief of the Iloilo City District Engineering Office (ICDEO) of the Department of Public Works & Highways (DWPH) Region VI. Engr. Gustilo said an additional funding of P16.9 Million was requested to expand the bridge from a two-lane to a four-lane in order to accommodate more vehicles. Hence, the total project cost of Dungon Bridge, which connects the districts of Jaro and Mandurriao, amounted to an astounding P53.0 Million. First of all, there appears to be a Big Discrepancy of almost Five Million Pesos (P5.0 Million) on the initial Contract Cost of the Dungon Bridge project. The billboard or signage of the DWPH stated the amount at P31,408.120.15 for the Replacement of Dungon Bridge to be constructed by AFG Construction. However, Engr. Gustilo, Chief of the ICDEO of the DWPH Region VI now says that it is P36.0 Million. Enclosed are the photocopies of the photographs taken in late January 2012 during the Dinagyan in Iloilo. Based on our ocular inspection, there appears to be No Justification to replace the existing Dungon Bridge. InfraWatch invited Mr. Nestor Burgos, Jr., Chief of Correspondents of the Visayas Bureau of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI), to the site of the DPWH Region VI project on 23 January 2012 to show him the condition of the bridge and share our observations. Mr. Burgos is based in Iloilo City and the current president of the Nation Union of Journalists in the Philippines (NUJP). We told Mr. Burgos that the columns and girders of Dungon Bridge are still in good condition and that he can ask a civil or structural engineer in Iloilo to validate our observations. InfraWatch further added that even if the DPWH would justify its replacement as a weak bridge, there is No Need to Replace because it can be reinforced and strengthened without tearing the bridge down. There are existing technologies to strengthen the beams and columns such as wrapping it with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP), which was used last year by the DPWH contactor in the Buendia flyover along Osmea Highway in Makati City in Metro Manila. InfraWatch is a project of the Pilipinas Sandiwa Heritage Foundation, Inc. (PSHFI)
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Thus, it now appears that DPWH wasted at least P30.0 Million in the Replacement of Dungon Bridge in Iloilo City. The DPWH could have rehabilitated it by simply doing an asphalt overlay on the pavement and applying CFRP as it did on the Buendia Flyover. Surely, this is not the Daan na Matuwid that President Benigno S. Aquino III speaks of in his 2012 State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the Aquino Administration has gotten rid of the useless, wasteful spending. The other issue related to Dungon Bridge is its expansion from two-lanes to four lanes by the DPWH in order to accommodate more vehicles. There was No Need to Replace Dungon Bridge if the justification is to widen it to four-lanes. Again, there are existing technologies to expand without demolishing the existing bridge, which has been done in the Alabang-Calamba section of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and along EDSA (C-4) on the Magallanes flyover above the Osmea Highway (after SLEX). However, there is really No Need to Widen Dungon Bridge because the volume of traffic along El 98 Road from Jaro to Mandurriao (leading to Benigno Aquino Ave.) does not justify the expansion from two lanes to four lanes. Assuming for the sake of discussion that the traffic count along El 98 Road justifies a four-lane bridge, the question now is what is value of a four-lane bridge when the road before and after it remains at two-lanes? The situation of a four-lane bridge but with a two-lane road before and after it is a potential source of traffic accidents and therefore is a veritable Public Hazard funded by DWPH. Thus, on top of the waste of public funds on the Replacement of Dungon Bridge, amounting to at least P30.0 Million, there is an additional waste of almost P17.0 Million for the unnecessary widening of the said bridge. All told the National Government wasted around P50.0 Million of the peoples money on this project of the DPWH Region VI. Once again, we do not believe that the waste of P50.0 Million is consistent with the Daan na Matuwid of President Aquino and his anti-corruption crusade that he speaks of. Thank you for your kind attention. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Sincerely yours,

RICARDO B. RAMOS Executive Director

Cc: President Benigno S. Aquino III, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, Malacaang; Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago; Senator Franklin Drilon; Senator Sergio Osmea III; Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales; Commission on Audit (CoA) Chair Grace P.Tan; Ms. Letty J. Magsanoc, Editor in Chief, Philippine Daily Inquirer InfraWatch is a project of the Pilipinas Sandiwa Heritage Foundation, Inc. (PSHFI)
4/F. Liberty Bldg, 835 A. Arnaiz St., Legaspi Village, Makati, Metro Manila 1223 Email: pilipinasheritage@gmail.com * Tel. No. (632) 552-2787