Sticky asphalt

Of course, asphalt by its very nature is sticky but when it comes to politics it is stickier than what it is. This is simply explained by the greasy money that comes with it and the issues that stick at the coat tails of the congressman or the top people in the Department of Public Works and Highways that cannot be washed by explanation.

Last week the DPWH asphalted Bácolod’s main street from 6th to 14th Street. This strip is one we can consider to be in the best of condition anywhere in the city except for a crevice where some government agency cut across and forgot to refill.

This is common in this city but who cares? We just grin and bear it while others probably are grinning all the way to the bank.

Naturally the asphalting raised a lot of eyebrows, no pun intend for Mayor Evelio Leonardia, who got peeved at not being informed by DPWH. He summoned the DPWH that made another crazy explanation about having to do the asphalting fast because of the weather as if the asphalting is a matter of life and death it cannot wait by notifying the mayor or the City Engineer’s office with a mere telephone call.

The asphalting took place at night so we woke up with the middle aisle asphalted and many got surprised when their cars titled a bit right or left not knowing that the sides were not evened up. Not a few motorcyclists got a surprise of their lives – something that almost sent them to the hospital.

Fortunately nobody landed at the hospital otherwise DPWH would have been hailed to court because they did not put in a warning sign.

But we cannot blame DPWH of it. It is common for this agency to scrimp by not spending a few pesos for the signages or warning. Nobody has filed a case for injuries and damages against the department, so why bother? With millions in kickback, some people cannot think or be bothered by a few pesos.

Be that as it may, the asphalting of Lacson Street which otherwise would cause people to clap their hands have instead stirred them to question the priority or lucidity of their congressman and the department. With so many national roads in dire need of repairs for years, why “repair” one of, if not the best, paved roads in the city?

I remember one of the issues against former Congressman Monico Puentevlla was the asphalt scam, the asphalt overpriced to a scandalous proportion that he and the DPWH are, until now unable to explain.

Not content, he had an asphalt overlay on the newly cemented road in front of his house. Then another strip of Lacson Street, also well concreted, was asphalted, but this time in front of his funeral service business.

Meantime, the road from Sum-ag Bridge has become a scandal showcasing government ineptitude or absence of policy. Puentevella was congressman for nine years but did nothing for this one-kilometer road that has earned the name Abortion Road, and a constant reminder of his term aside from the SEA Games P50-million scandal. The plunder case against him is in the Sandigan but like so many other graft cases against Puentevella, they sleep the slumber of the dead.

Incumbent Bácolod Congressman Anthony Golez has not learned the fiasco of his asphalt project right after he was elected. Remember that time when he had asphalted the road from the Burgos market to West Negros University and it was washed out the following night when the street was flooded, not the least of its causes was the asphalt itself?

It was not Golez’s fault, of course, but who do you think the citizens of Bácolod blamed? Technically, the congressman is in control of national agencies though this is a myth because the one in control is the cabinet secretary.

However, congressmen and senators exercise “undue influence” on executive departments. They have pork barrels and usually exert pressure on how the departments allocate their budgets and to favor their pet projects and contractors.

The same thing with this asphalting – people blame Golez. It would have seemed ridiculous for anyone to pin the fault on him because this is a DPWH project, but when he defended this fiasco he got stuck with the DPWH and so got blamed as well.

I got several calls and personally asked about why this asphalting. I really don’t know the insanity of this but give it to DPWH – they are experts in this scheme. Destroy then repair. That is where the money is, and at a cheaper price compared to repair a totally wrecked bridge or road.

They say “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” In DPWH, “if it’s good, break it; there’s money in it.”*

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