DPWH to probe infrastructures damaged by Uwan

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Tuesday it would investigate infrastructures damaged during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Uwan to check whether these were compromised by the calamity or if there lapses in their construction. 

DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon said such probes would be conducted alongside needed repair works.

"Kasabay po 'yan, sa lahat naman ng mga nangyayari ngayon ay kailangan natin malaman kung ano ang naging sanhi. Kung ito ba ay dahil lang sa mga sakunang dinanas natin o mayroong kakulangan din sa pagpapagawa nitong mga 'to," Dizon said in an interview on Balitanghali. 

(That will be done as well, for everything that is happening now, we need to know what the cause was. Whether this was merely due to the calamities we experienced or if there was also a deficiency in the construction of these projects.)  

For example, Dizon said, the agency will look into how the floodgates at Estero de Paco in Manila City became dilapidated.

"Binisita ko ngayong umaga 'yung nasirang floodgate sa Estero de Paco sa Maynila. Kasabay nu'ng papagpagawa natin, nag-commit naman 'yung kontratista na walang dagdag-gastos sa gobyerno ito, kaya maaayos ito in 14 days, at papatibayan pa ito in the next three months,” he added. 

(I visited the damaged floodgate in Estero de Paco in Manila this morning. Concurrent with our repair work, the contractor committed that this will be done with no added cost to the government, so it will be fixed in 14 days, and it will be strengthened further in the next three months.) 

"Kasabay nito, kakailangin natin imbestigahan kung ano talaga ang sanhi at ano ba talaga ang dahilan ng pagkayupi ng floodgates sa Estero de Paco. 'Yung ginagawa natin sa ganitong impraestraktura ay gagawin din natin sa mga nasirang kalye, mga nasirang mga tulay," the DPWH chief said. 

(Alongside this, we need to investigate what is the true cause and what is the real reason for the damage to the floodgates in Estero de Paco. What we are doing for this type of infrastructure, we will also do for the damaged streets and damaged bridges.) 

Uwan has exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on early Tuesday, but it may reenter on Wednesday evening as it makes landfall over the southwestern coast of Taiwan.

In the latest situational report of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, a total of 4,143 houses were damaged. Of this number, 3,347 were partially damaged and 796 were totally damaged. — VDV, GMA Integrated News