P380M dike in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro deteriorated only after 2 years

A dike worth P380 million that was built in San Teodoro, Oriental Mindoro had begun deteriorating only after two years it was finished.

The concrete in portions of the relatively new dike has already cracked and collapsed last year, causing some parts of the structure to sink because the river had eroded the soil on which the thin layer of concrete was laid, according to Maki Pulido’s report in “24 Oras” on Wednesday. 

Barangay officials said other portions of the dike have already been washed away by floods due to the effects of the Southwest Monsoon or Habagat last July. 

The officials said the construction of the dike in Subaan River began in 2022 and was finished in 2023. 

The barangay had reported the condition of the dike to the Department of Public Works and Highways. 

“Nagkaroon ng bitak yung kanilang gawa tapos inano namin sa taga-DPWH, sa mga engineer. Ngayon po parang inayos nila, may retouch-retouch. Tapos nagkaroon ng disaster, nagkaroon ng baha dun na lumaki, gumuho na po,” said Barangay Bigaan captain Sonny Ilagan. 

(There were cracks in what they built so we reported it to the DPWH, to the engineers. Now, it seems they repaired it, there were retouches done. Then when disaster occurred, there was a big flood there, and it has since collapsed.) 

Similar to other flood control projects in Oriental Mindoro, there was also no coordination with the local government with regards to the construction of the said dike. 

When cracks and breaches began to appear on the dike, it was only then that the local government discovered the poor quality of the concrete and hardly any steel bars were used to reinforce the structure.

“Malaki ho yung baha, talagang umaapaw yung baha. Siguro hindi kinaya ng konkreto kaya nag-crack na siya,” said Philip Garcia of San Teodoro’s engineering department. 

(The flood was really big, the water really overflowed. Perhaps the concrete couldn't handle it, which is why it cracked.) 

“Sa isang tingin po namin ay hindi siya angkop doon sa lugar 'tsaka dun sa volume at current ng tubig na dumadaloy dito,” said municipal councilor Kim Aspecto.  “Siguro mas magiging matibay po ito kung mas malaki yung mga bakal.” 

(In our opinion, the quality is not suitable for the area and for the volume and current of water that flows there ... Perhaps it would have been stronger if the steel bars they used were bigger.) 

The dike project was divided into three phases, which were also split among three construction companies, based on DPWH data available from President Marcos's Sumbong sa Pangulo website.

One of these construction companies, Newbig Four J Construction Inc., secured Phase 1 of the project for nearly P145 million. 

The said company was once blacklisted from 2016 to 2017 due to a project in Quezon City, based on a list released by the Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines. 

It also received a poor rating in the Constructors Performance Evaluation System Report for 2015 to 2018, this time for a project in Laguna. 

Meanwhile, the two other construction companies, Prime Pacific Marine and Industrial Services Corporation, also secured a budget of nearly P145 million. 

On the other hand, Road Edge Trading and Development Services secured over P96 million. But it received two unsatisfactory ratings from the Constructors Performance Evaluation System in 2014.

GMA Integrated News is still finding which of the three contractors handled the damaged section of the dike in San Teodoro. We are also trying to reach out to them for comments. 

GMA Integrated News is also trying to get a comment from the DPWH Mimaropa Regional Office regarding the situation. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News