By LEONARDO V. MICUA
Uncompleted, abandoned DPWH projects
WITH President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. only two years into his term, will at least some of the unfinished vital infrastructure projects in Pangasinan have a chance of being completed?
Recall that DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon visited Pangasinan several times in the recent past. During these visits, he was shown several projects that had been initially funded and were actually started, but were subsequently stalled due to a lack of funding.
Given the DPWH’s shift in policy to avoid launching new projects and instead focus on completing unfinished ones that were initially funded—aimed at preventing the occurrence of ghost and substandard projects—the abandoned projects in Pangasinan may receive renewed attention and resources to ensure their completion.
Among these projects is the Sto. Tomas Bridge, which crosses the Agno River. Construction began back in 2017, but only the concrete pillars have been erected, leaving it exposed to the elements without further funding.
This bridge is a promising alternative to the aging Teofilo Sison Bridge and will connect to the newly built Villasis-Urdaneta Expressway. This development aims to relieve traffic on the Don Teofilo Sison Bridge and reduce congestion along the Manila North Road.
Another unfinished project is the Lingayen-Binmaley-Dagupan bypass road, where the Calmay Bridge remains incomplete. Completing this bridge could shorten travel time between Dagupan and Lingayen by 45 minutes, untangling road gridlock between these two points at any time of the day.
Additionally, the unfinished diversion road from Binalonan to Manaoag via Laoac is expected to ease heavy traffic along the main route to the Minor Basilica of Manaoag.
Secretary Dizon has pledged to review these projects and secure funding to ensure their completion before the President’s term ends.
We hope he prioritizes these important projects, so vital to Pangasinan and its three million people.
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According to Pamana Branch Manager Glenn Gomez, Dagupenos need not worry about their water supply during this intense drought period.
Pamana, which now manages the former Dagupan City Water District (DCWD), has invested over 150 million pesos to enhance the water distribution system across all 31 barangays of Dagupan City.
Gomez stated that Pamana currently has a network of 234 kilometers of water distribution pipes, an increase from the 201 kilometers when DCWD was in charge. The company has also established 25 pumping stations throughout Dagupan City, with the latest one located in Carael, where they discovered a significant volume of potable water for households in western Dagupan City, specifically on the west side of the Calmay River.
Without Pamana, the former DCWD would not have made significant improvements in tapping underground water and enhancing the distribution system. This progress was made possible without borrowing millions of pesos from the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), with the Dagupan City government serving as guarantor.
With Dagupan’s expanding business economy under Mayor Belen Fernandez, the joint venture agreement between Pamana and DCWD in 2021 may have been proven to be a wise decision.