MULTI-MILLION PESO FLOODWAY

Sec. Ebdane irked by60-th mahogany trees

BAUTISTA – The Department of Public Works and Highways has confirmed it is revising the plans for its multi-million peso 11.9-kilometer floodway between Bautista and Alcala towns.

     Reason? It can not meet the new demands of landowners seeking higher compensation for their lands after planting trees on the site.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane said the revision must be made to skirt the 60,000 mahogany trees planted by individual landowners right on the planned floodway itself.

He said land-owners of the property encroached by the floodway are now seeking higher compensation for their land. They had previously asked for only P43 million five years ago but are now demanding P166 million ostensibly because of the now fully-grown mahogany trees.

The floodway, a part of the Agno and Allied Rivers Urgent Rehabilitation Project funded by the Japanese Bank for International Cooperation, will divert the water from the Tarlac river and Poponto swamp towards the Agno river, thus reducing the flooding in the town of Bayambang during the rainy season.

Ebdane and other officials of the DPWH and of the Commission on Audit, who conducted an ocular inspection on the project site last week, deplored the planting of thousands of mahogany trees right on the planned floodway.

“I cannot in conscience allow the payment of those illegally planted trees,” said Ebdane who revealed that these trees were planted after the parcellary mapping done by his office in 2001.

“Magalit na ang dapat magalit. We cannot pay for the trees that were planted after we conducted the survey,” Ebdane said.

Ebdane suspected that these trees were planted along the floodway by property owners expecting that they will still be paid by JBIC.

He said it’s not JBIC but the government that will pay for the right of way.

He said in skirting the 60,000 mahogany trees, the floodway will encroach on rice fields whose owners agreed to give way to the project.

“Even if P11 million was already spent for right of way in the old alignment, the expenses would still be much lower than P240 million,” he said.

However, Ebdane sought another 380 days for the completion of the project, including its earthworks. He said had it not been for the 60,000 mahogany trees, the old alignment might have already been completed by the end of this month.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments