Bacolod official asks DPWH to explain road closure

April 25, 2022 by No Comments

BACOLOD Councilor Dindo Ramos has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to explain the road closure in some areas of the city without an approval from the local government.Ramos, chairperson of the City Council committee on transportation, already requested District Engineer Jaime Javellana to submit to them their explanation last week.He also asked for the list of DPWH’s ongoing projects in the city where road closure will be implemented.“For our next session on Wednesday, we will ask the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) if they (DPWH) already replied,” Ramos said.Should the line agency fail to explain the road closure, the councilor warned that a case for abuse of authority will be filed before the Office of the Ombudsman against its top officials in the city.Ramos noted that any projects being implemented in the city should have coordination with the local government.Road closures should have a written authority from the City Council. The problem is that the DPWH failed to coordinate with the City Government, Ramos stressed.In a related development, Dennis Perma, spokesperson of Bacolod Traffic Authority Office (BTAO), said they received the letter from the DPWH for the road closure, but it was already late.“They sent their letter but they were already conducting repair or construction of the roads which caused traffic,” Perma said, pointing out that “they should inform us before the construction so that we can assign a traffic enforcer in the area to maintain the smooth flow of traffic.”These areas, he added, included along downtown area, San Sebastian Street, shopping area, and Barangay Bata, among others.