DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 16 May)—City councilors urged Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc. (Apo Agua), the bulk water supplier in this city, to repair all the roads they wrecked during their pipe-laying activities.
Residents said this road in Barangay Talomo River was damaged by Apo Agua during pipe-laying operations but has not been repaired completely, as shown in this picture taken Thursday afternoon (16 May 2024). MindaNews photo by IAN CARL ESPINOSA
This despite the claim of Apo Agua that they already restored 100 percent of the road works totaling 35 kilometers affected by their pipe-laying activities, as expressed by the firm’s director, Arturo Milan, before the Sangguniang Panlungsod during its session on Tuesday.
In his report, Milan said these include the Gumalang Lacson Road in Barangay Lacson; De Lara Street in Barangay Talomo River; Sampaguita Street along Barangays Riverside, Los Amigos, and Tugbok; Biao Joaquin Roads along Barangay Biao Joaquin; Talandang Road in Barangay New Valencia; Mandug Road in Barangays Mandug, Tigatto, and Buhangin Proper; Palos Verdes Avenue in Barangay Indangan; Acacia-Mandug Road in Barangays Acacia, Mandug, and Indangan; and the Cabantian-Indangan road in Barangays Cabantian and Indangan.
But after the councilors pointed out to Milan that various roads are still in disarray, he eventually admitted that it was the pipe-laying work that is already 100 percent completed.
Councilor Alberto Ungab said that a certain portion of the Calinan-Talomo River road was left “without any roadwork restoration done,” and most of its parts were left “not just with cracks, but destroyed” and is not yet passable.
He said that the road was damaged after the pipe-laying and supposed “road repairs” were done.
Councilor Augusto Javier III “Javi” Campos seconded that some adjacent lanes in Mandug Road were still damaged due to “heavy delays of roadworks restoration.”
Councilor Bonz Andrei Militar, on the other hand, said there are still some lanes that need to be fixed in Barangay Mahayag, with drilled holes covered with Apo Agua signages. However, Milan clarified that it was not in Mahayag, but rather in Barangay Tugbok Proper, particularly, Mahayahay Road.
Militar also told Milan to restore the stretch of road from Calinan to Talandang as only one lane is being used as the other was damaged during the bulk water project’s digging.
MindaNews, in an ocular inspection, confirmed that one of the roads still not completely repaired was in Barangay Talomo River, under Calinan District.
Etta Calivuso, a resident who owns the store just steps away from the damaged roadway, said that roadworks began in 2019. She added that just last week, they saw workers from Apo Agua along with personnel without uniforms who poured concrete to conceal the holes they drilled.
But Calivuso said the concrete was damaged when rain came last week, making it even more difficult for motorists to negotiate the road.
She said large trucks also regularly pass through the road, damaging it some more.
“Unta tarungon nila og ayo diha, kay lisod kaayo, daghan lubak-lubak. Accident-prone area na siya kay duol ra bas kanal, tas daghan buslot,” Calivuso told MindaNews Thursday afternoon. (They should repair the road properly because it is difficult for us, with all the potholes. That’s an accident-prone area because it is so close to the canal, plus the drilling holes.)
Calivuso also said a certain personnel from Apo Agua “went furious” earlier in the afternoon before this reporter visited the area because repairs were not done. (Ian Carl Espinosa / MindaNews)
