When someone so young passes away, we always say he’s gone so soon. I say the same for my nephew and godson Roy who passed away in a tragic road crash on May 17 in Mati City.Roy had just graduated from Nursing last April and was spending his break before taking the review classes for the Nursing Board with his batchmates at San Pedro College. Early morning on May 17, he drove smack on a steel obstruction left lying on the concrete road being constructed in Mati City.
Not even the best of riders can avoid such an obstruction on a pitch dark highway with no early warning signs and flashing lights to warn motorists of the construction works.
There were no warning signs set up by the contractor of this project—which is among the traditional eve-of-the-election infra projects implemented by the DPWH through the country’s political districts.
This section of the national highway, just about 4 to 5 kilometers from Mati’s City Hall, has no street lights either. Most of its roads, save for the city center, have no street lights.
I am not laying blames on the death of my nephew here. I am only exposing the state of things in our roads and highways and how contractors feast on mega-million projects without regard for road safety.
Last Monday, the City of Mati released an investigation report of the road section and reported that the same had no required safety devices installed—a blatant violation of the requirements for road construction projects. Even a simple building construction these days require safety devices before you can get a permit to construct.
This road project, very clearly, according to the report by the Mati City government and our own pieces of evidence of the crash site and statements by eyewitnesses, did not conform to the requirements of safety. Hence, the DPWH must act immediately on this matter.
However, it seems that the DPWH’s Second Engineering District in Davao Oriental has no plans of taking action on this matter. More than a week has passed after the tragic incident and still, nothing has been done in the construction site. I was told there were motorists who figured in near brushes with death and sustained injuries. I am sure everyone who passes by this road section each night is practically flirting with disaster.
This is a clearly an irresponsible engagement in public works. When the government engages a private company to do public works, it passes on to the private entity the same degree of responsibility, prudence, and accountability required of public office.
Despite the promise of new governance and his much ballyhooed “daang matuwid”, the Aquino administration is still plagued with people who seem not to be in the same orchestra with him. There is only practically one contractor in Davao Oriental hogging the infra projects and yet the DPWH cannot even impose its requirements on this contractor.
Our prayers are simple. That the DPWH please take a look at these rampant violations of private contractors not only in Davao Oriental but also in other provinces and cities. We beg you please. Not because a relative of ours died.
We beg you because this is not going to be the last highway tragedy unless you do something. How many more lives have to be lost or limbs broken before we act?
I pray, it does not happen to your son, nephew, friend, or even yourself.
