Some lawmakers here are calling for an investigation on the quality of the traffic posts in the city following the death of an 18-year-old student due to electrocution.
Last Oct. 8, a senior high school student, Laurence Mike Allen Barrios Siarot, was electrocuted after he stepped on wet ground beside a grounded traffic light post in Panacan.
Councilor Diosdado Mahipus Jr. delivered a privilege speech on Tuesday calling for a probe in the wake of the tragic incident.
“I found out on record that the defective traffic post was allegedly reported to the contractor way back August 2019, residents in the area have taken notice of the electricity running from the post,” Mahipus said.
“Preliminary reports state that there was an alleged inspection done sometime in September and that the City Government allocated P10 million for repair, replacement, rehabilitation and maintenance of the traffic signalization,” Mahipus said.
According to Mahipus, the contract was awarded to a contractor.
“What happened to the P10 million amount for repair and rehabilitation?” he asked.
Mahipus also wants to know the terms of the contract and the memorandum of agreement to determine if there is any liability on the part of the contractor. He also asked for the copy of the inspection report of the traffic post in the area.
“Certainly, we need to establish some basic facts and information regarding the incident because we have appropriated funds for the maintenance of the traffic signalization in order to prevent incidents such as this,” Mahipus said.
“We cannot bring back the life of the victim Laurence, but we can prevent the happening of similar accidents if we stay vigilant and we establish protocols,” he added.
Likewise, Councilor Dante Apostol, also from the Second District, filed a resolution urging all concerned local agencies to conduct an inventory of all existing traffic posts in the city. The bereaved family of Siarot asked help from the City Council to investigate the incident and give justice to the death of the high school student.
