A coordination problem?

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor CHERYL CRUZ Desk Editor PATRICK PANGILINAN Busines Editor NIDA A. BUENAFE Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Acting Bacolod City Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson and Traffic Management Unit head Chief Insp. Luisito Acebuche slammed the Department of Public Works and Highways yesterday for reconstructing the portion of the Circumferential Road near the city’s government center without coordinating with the local government after receiving complaints from the public about  the worsening traffic situation in the area.

If the DPWH had only taken the time to coordinate with the city government and the TMU, mitigating measures could have been prepared, additional traffic enforcers assigned to the area, and alternative routes planned, so that the public  would not  have to be inconvenienced by the road repair that affected a major thoroughfare and a busy intersection.

The repair and widening of the affected road is a welcome development, especially for an area that is experiencing steady growth and development,  but surely it can be planned and executed in a way that takes into account the inconvenience that such an undertaking could impose on the public.

This disconnect between a national government agency and the local government comes at the expense of the public who expect their government to work for them with utmost regard to public safety and the least disruption to their daily lives. Is it too much to ask a national government agency to coordinate with its local counterparts before starting work on a project in the heart of a vibrant city so that arrangements can be made to reduce any inconveniences on the public due to the execution of the project?

A pattern of the DPWH’s failure to coordinate with the local government is starting to emerge. This recent snafu, and  the asphalt overlay project on  Lacson Street last June that got the ire of Mayor Evelio Leonardia when it went ahead without any coordination with city officials, make it seem  as if whoever is responsible for the DPWH in this district needs to brush up on his communication and coordination skills.

Hopefully, this brouhaha is simply the result of an honest mistake and no malice or political scheme  was involved when the lack of coordination caused the public outcry against the traffic jams that could have been avoided in the first place.*