FUTURE OF ‘AGUILA’ ALLIANCE DOUBTED

THE political alliance that brought together Guico-Lambino-Cojuangco in 2022 is showing signs of strain after Governor Ramon Guico III raised concerns about the 10-kilometer Lingayen Beach Seawall initiated by Second District Representative Mark Cojuangco and implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

This issue was raised during a joint committee hearing conducted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan last week in Lingayen attended by Governor Guico, Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil, Binmaley Mayor Pedro Merrera III and fisherfolk and other stakeholders.

During the hearing, DPWH project engineers were unable to provide a detailed engineering plan for the seawall project when questioned by Governor Guico.
This led the governor to suggest that technical malversation may have occurred, as the project “funded by the General Appropriations Act of 2023 is for an “access road”, not for slope protection or a seawall.

Governor Guico presented a copy of the 2023 GAA, highlighting the item “Tourism Road Infrastructure Project (TRIP),” from which the budget for the seawall project was sourced. He pointed out that it was denoted as “Construction/Implementation of Access Road Leading to Declared Tourism Destination.”

In response, the DPWH Second Engineering District admitted that the project lacked an approved master plan and was using an outdated Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from 2015, which they were seeking to amend with the Environmental Management Bureau.

Governor Guico argued that an ECC should only be issued for a project once a proponent presents a master plan as the basis for construction. Despite this, DPWH claimed to have a multi-year plan for the Lingayen Beach seawall, set to be completed in 2025 at a cost of P1.47 billion.

Lack of Consultation

Mayor Bataoil raised concerns about the project’s lack of wide-ranging consultation, contrasting it with the approach taken when he initiated the Lingayen-Binmaley Baywalk in 2012.

Governor Guico noted that while some barangay chairpersons approved of the project, it lacked approval from the municipal, provincial, and regional development councils, which is usually required for major government infrastructure projects.

Mayor Merrera, a former city engineer of Quezon City, expressed concerns about the seawall’s stability, particularly due to a lack of pile bearings to withstand the force of waves during storms in the Lingayen Gulf.

Governor Guico also questioned the source of sand for a proposed access road, to which DPWH engineers replied that it would come from materials dredged at the river’s mouth.

Rep. Cojuangco has yet to comment on the reactions and allegations made during the hearing, but previously uploaded a video on Facebook, indicating the intended height of the seawall for storm surge protection in the presence of  Gov. Guico and Mayor Bataoil. (Leonardo  Micua)

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