TABUK CITY, Kalinga—The national government has allotted P193 million to complete the long-delayed pavement of short gaps along the national highway from this city to Mountain Province boundary in Tinglayan town.
According to the Upper Kalinga District of the Department of Public Works and Highways, contractors are now working on the pavement of the five-kilometer gaps mostly along the Lubuagan-Tinglayan section of the national road.
Theodoro Owek, DPWH-Upper Kalinga District assistant district engineer, said the project is part of more than P1 billion in road projects during the administration of then-President Gloria Arroyo.
Owek said the project incurred gaps due to unreasonable demands of individuals on road right-of-way claims.
The municipal government of Tinglayan said it created a local peace corps to talk with claimants, resolve issues and settle demands. Owek said this move paved the way for contractors to pursue the completion of the remaining gaps.
DPWH officials assured they are doing all means for the smooth completion of the project.
Meanwhile, hundreds of motorcycles have been impounded and over a thousand motorcycle owners were apprehended by the city government after the implementation of the ordinance prohibiting the use of two-wheeled vehicles or motorcycles without exhaust mufflers or silencers was stepped up since January 2017.
Mirriam Antonette Buslig, assistant chief of the Public Order and Safety Office, said they were now enforcing Ordinance 002 Series of 2011.
With the apprehensions of violators, over P1 million in penalties has been remitted by their office to the city treasury, she added. Most of the apprehensions were of motorcycles using modified exhaust pipes without mufflers or silencers.
Prior to the implementation of the ordinance, Buslig said their office constantly received several complaints from the residents on the loud sounds coming from motorcycles that disturb people, especially at night.
“People who hear an excessive sound from a motorcycle without exhaust mufflers will be exasperated, how much more with these riders?” Buslig said.
She said that POSO is coming up with a proposal to the local legislative body for the possible amendment of the ordinance that would legally allow them to destroy the confiscated illegal exhaust mufflers to prevent the owner from reusing the same.
Buslig said that when approved, the destruction of the unregulated mufflers will be done publicly for transparency.
She said under the ordinance, violators are fined P500 for the first offense, P1,000 for the second offense and P3,000 for the third offense.
POSO has requested for an augmentation of its personnel for to cover a wider area considering that the apprehension is being done 24 hours a day for seven days.
The POSO, together with PNP–Tabuk City, are intensifying the implementation of this ordinance which also includes the apprehension for violations of the no helmet, no travel policy; undocumented motor vehicle; driving without license and other land transportation and traffic laws and ordinances. With Dexter A. See