Marcos says those behind P264m rock shed liable for economic sabotage
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. yesterday branded as “useless” a P264 million-worth rock shed meant to protect motorists traversing Kennon Road from falling rocks, saying that those responsible for its sloppy construction deserve to be charged with economic sabotage.
During an on-site inspection, the chief executive noted how the structure was easily destroyed by the recent series of typhoons coupled with the enhanced southwest monsoon, exposing design flaws and substandard materials used in its construction.
As a result, portions of the broken structure mixed with eroded soil ended up blocking the road going in and out of Benguet.
Mr. Marcos told reporters at the scene how the blocked road has led to the closure of local businesses.
“Because of this (pointing at the rock shed), because it closed, 35% of livelihoods were lost immediately because of it,” he stressed.
The President noted that the damage goes beyond the physical structure.
“We are not only seeing physical damage but also human livelihoods.
Human livelihoods have been severely damaged because the funds that were supposed to make infrastructure standard and reliable were siphoned off by corrupt people,” he said.
“The most important part is gone, it has eroded, because the protection wall they built is very weak, very small,” the President added.
Mr. Marcos was joined by City Mayor Benjamin Magalong in inspecting the extent of the damage.
The city mayor has recently been very vocal in criticizing the systemic corruption that has led to poorly-built government infrastructure projects.
“You can see it here, you can see it at the bottom of the tunnel, it has really eroded because the slope protection that was put here was very low and very weak, so when the water came in, the water weighed it down and it washed everything away,” Mr. Marcos pointed out.
The President emphasized the need for prior consultation with local government units (LGUs) before project implementation.
He recalled his experience as governor, noting that project acceptance from the locality and LGU was once required to ensure the project’s benefits.
“There must be acceptance from the locality and the LGU once the project is completed. Acceptance is very important as the people will say if the project will really benefit them,” the chief executive said.
Currently, there is no broad legal definition for economic sabotage.
Specific acts of “economic sabotage” are penalized under the Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act and the Anti-Agricultural Sabotage Act.
For her part, Tuba Mayor Clarita Sal-ongan emphasized that the rock shed had been useful in preventing greater damage inflicted by landslides to the main road.
She said that what is needed is for the Department of Public Works and Highways to extend the rock shed to cover a bigger portion of the landslide-prone area, but the project has suffered from inadequate funding.
Still, Sal-ongan seconded the statement of the President on the failure of concerned government agencies to consult with local governments on the priority projects that should be implemented within their areas of jurisdiction.
Meanwhile, Engr. Arnold Dacwag, chief of the Cordillera office of the Department of Public Works and Highways planning and design division, refused to comment on the President’s statement that the rock shed project was useless, but pointed out that the structure was designed to extend for 250 meters, but funds earmarked were only enough for 150 meters.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline: “Economic sabotage raps mulled over ‘useless’ Kennon Road projects”
