- Councilor slams Apo Agua, DCWD over road repairs
A LAWMAKER vented his frustration against Apo Agua Infrastructura, Inc. and the Davao City Water District (DCWD) over the ceaseless delays in road repairs and rehabilitation.
“I would like to express my disappointment to the Apo Agua and DCWD for another usual delay in delivering their commitment to Davao City,” Councilor Bonz Andre Militar said during the 20th city council’s 14th regular session on Tuesday, April 16.
Apo Agua was invited to appear before the city council to shed light on the ongoing road restoration projects, but representatives did not show up at Tuesday’s session.
Vice Mayor J. Melchor Quitain shared that Apo Agua wrote a letter requesting to postpone their appearance to the second week of May (May 14 regular session) as they committed to complete their roadworks by April 30.
To recall, on the Feb. 13 regular session, Apo Agua reported being 99% complete for the road repairs.
“After two months, naa gihapon sila sa 99%, so anong ibig sabihin nito (they are still stuck at 99%, so what does this mean)? Maybe they are just giving us false details, false data for pampalubag-loob lang natin dito sa (trying to appease the) city council,” Militar added.
The councilor said Apo Agua has to explain the cause of the delay as it was not the first time they asked for an extension.
He added Apo Agua should not give a date on the completion of projects when they are not going to accomplish it on their given date and just proceed to ask for an extension.
“We have been very understanding from their start of operations until now, with the remaining commitment to the city, however, we cannot let the Dabawenyos suffer from discomfort and inconvenience due to their unfinished road repairs,” he added.
The councilor proposed a resolution demanding the Apo Agua and DCWD to comply with their April 30 promised date.
DCWD Spokesperson JC Duhaylungsod clarified the pipelaying works for the bulk water project are divided into two parts.
Part A which is from the source, treatment, and going to the storage facility is the Apo Agua side, while Part B which is improving the distribution network is the DCWD side.
Duhaylungsod said the April 30 completion is doable, based on their monitoring.
Councilor Angelo Mahipus remarked that the city council’s demand must include DCWD as it is a shared responsibility of both utility providers.
Representatives of Apo Agua, DCWD, and the City Engineers Office are expected to appear in the May 14 regular session.
