The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region
12 has temporarily suspended the development of a vital road network at an
upland village in South Cotabato following a
landmine attack by suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels last week that left
three people dead.
Reynaldo Tamayo, DPWH Region 12 director, said Monday they
stopped all development works involving the PHP80 million Surallah-Lake Sebu
road project pending the resolution of the area’s security problems.
He said the project’s private contractor Gemma Construction
Corp. has pulled out from the area following the killing of one of its
engineers in an attack staged by NPA rebels at the construction site in Sitio
Lamsuguing, Barangay Upper Sepaka in Surallah town last July 9.
Two alleged NPA rebels were reported killed while three
other militiamen were wounded in an ensuing firefight.
“We have no choice but to temporarily stop the project as
the private contractor has already left the site due to concerns regarding the
security of its personnel,” Tamayo said in a radio interview.
The official said he already reported and endorsed the
matter to the Office of DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson for appropriate actions.
He said their main concern at the moment is the possibility
of a complete pullout from the project of Gemma Construction due to the
volatile security situation at the site.
The affected road project, which is one of the identified
priorities of DPWH-12, is a component of the Surallah to Barangay Ned, Lake Sebu
Barangay Ned is considered as one of the remotest barangays
of the province and a potential growth area for agribusiness and mining
ventures.
Tamayo said that prior to the July 9 incident, the road
project is already 20 percent complete and with around four kilometers already
opened and paved.
He said they were supposed to start the construction next
month a bridge component that will connect the town proper of Lake Sebu
“We really feel bad for the area’s residents who have long
been dreaming of this project’s completion,” Tamayo said.
For her part, South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes said
they are considering a possible takeover of the project by personnel from the
Philippine Army’s Engineering Brigade.
She said the Army engineers are the only viable option in
case the private contractor will later decide to totally pull out from the
project.
“Our private contractor will really have a hard time
completing this project since they don’t have enough capacity to secure their
personnel and equipment,” she said.
The governor said that based on the information they
received from concerned individuals, the NPA rebels have reportedly extorting
revolutionary taxes from Gemma Construction and other companies working on some
government projects in the area.
She said the rebels were supposedly mulcting the contractors
as much as three percent of a project’s total cost.
Fuentes said the same problem is being faced by private
contractors assigned on road projects under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan
or PAMANA Program in T’boli town.
“We will request that our Army engineers will instead take
over with the implementation of road projects in our upland areas to address
these problems,” she added.
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