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DPWH Sec. Bonoan: 'Useless' Kennon Road projects possibly from past admin
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Monday said that the Kennon Road projects described by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as “useless” were possibly built during the past administration.
Bonoan in an interview on Dobol B TV pointed out that rock netting projects under his leadership undergo the right process.
“I think ito 'yung mga ginawa po noong nakaraang administrasyon siguro 'yan,” Bonoan said.
(I think this was done during the past administration.)
“I am sure na 'yung rock netting na ginagawa ngayon dito nang ako ay nakaupo rito, may technical investigation 'yan at dumaan sa tamang proseso at actually iyong tamang material ang gagamitin at [may] approval ng Bureau of Design namin bago nila gagawin,” he added.
(I am sure that the rock netting that was done under my leadership, there was a technical investigation and it went through the right process and actually the right material was used and it was approved by our Bureau of Design before they were constructed.)
Marcos on Sunday inspected two infrastructure projects in Tuba, Benguet where he described the P273.93 million rock shed project as “useless.”
“Nakita ngayon namin 'yung erosion sa ilalim ng kalsada, which is the most important part ay wala na. Na-erode na dahil 'yung ginawa nilang protection wall ay ubod ng hina, ubod ng liit,” Marcos told reporters.
(We saw that the soil below the road, which is the most important part, has eroded because the protection wall they constructed is very weak, very small.)
“You can see it sa ilalim ng tunnel, talagang na-erode na. Dahil 'yung slope protection dito sa baba, sa tabi ng ilog, ay napakababa at napakahina. Kaya't nung pumasok 'yung tubig, nu'ng bumigat 'yung tubig, eh tangay kaagad,” he added
(You can see it under the tunnel, that it’s clearly eroded, because the slope protection beside the river is very low and weak. So when the water came in and became heavier, it was swept away immediately.
He also flagged the installed rock netting, which he alleged had a 75% kickback from the contract.
Bonoan said that rock netting projects should undergo a study before construction to make sure that they are stable.
“Rock netting is actually a technical engineering solution para ma-stabilize ang mga slopes. Ginagamit sa lahat ng mga mountain slopes. Hindi lang dito sa Pilipinas, sa ibang bansa marami naman 'yan. Ginagamit kung it is technically adaptable,” he said.
(Rock netting is actually a technical engineering solution to stabilize slopes. It is used on all mountain slopes not only here in the Philippines, but also in other countries. It is widely used if it is technically adaptable.)
“Kailangan merong ng pagsusuri. Kailangan ang mga slopes na pinoprotekta natin ay stable. Hindi 'yung masyadong loose na slopes. Sinusuri muna bago ina-adopt 'yung rock netting,” he added.
(There needs to be an assessment. The slopes we are protecting need to be stable. Not the slopes that are too loose. We first assess before adapting the rock netting.)
GMA News Online contacted Atty. Salvador Panelo, former presidential legal counsel of former president Rodrigo Duterte, and Senator Mark Villar who was former secretary of the DPWH during the Duterte administration, to get their comments on the matter. Villar has not issued a statement.
Panelo meanwhile said the Kennon Road project is a project of the Marcos administration.
"The 273.93 billion Kennon Road project per the news item you sent is part the approved budget under the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) with the Department of Public Works and Highways, Cordillera Autonomous Region as the implementing office," Panelo told GMA News Online.
"Clearly therefore the approval of the said project budget and its implementation was done under the Marcos, Jr. administration, and the preceding Duterte administration had nothing to do with it," he added. —with a report from Llanesca T. Panti/KG, GMA Integrated News
