Sen. Ralph Recto. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) should deploy “pothole patrols” that will undertake minor road repairs round-the-clock in Metro Manila and other urban centers even before they become “traffic-causing craters,” Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said on Wednesday.
Recto said the already slow flow of vehicular traffic in the metropolis worsened during the rainy season “when potholes would pockmark roads especially after getting pounded by rain for days.”
The DPWH, he said, has the mandate, the money, and the men to send out work crews to search and repair potholes on a 24-hour basis.
“Hindi naman train ng MRT (Metro Rail Transit) ang bibilhin dyan. Isang maliit na trak lang na may aspalto at tao para ma-vulcanize ang mga butas sa kalye (They wouldn’t have to buy an MRT train. What would be needed are small truck with asphalt and work crews to vulcanize the potholes on the roads),” the senator said in a statement.
For this year, Recto said, the DPWH has a budget of at least P40.6 billion to maintain and repair national roads, the senator pointed out.
He said another source of funding for “24/7 roving road repair crews” are Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) collections which, by law, are earmarked for road maintenance.
“Collections from MVUC, which are tucked into car registration fees, are expected to climb to P14.4 billion from last year’s projected P13 billion,” said the senator.
Recto said not all traffic-abatement solutions would require special powers, pointing out that some, like immediately repairing potholes, only require common sense.
“The problem is that sometimes, we seek big-ticket solutions when there are simple remedies at hand. Gusto natin kaagad malalaking PPP o yung public-private partnership projects, na bilyon ang kailangan at taon ang bibilangin upang matapos (We want large PPP or Public-Private Partnership projects which require billions and would take years before finishing),” he said, referring to joint ventures to build large public works.
“In dreaming of large highway projects, we often fail to see the small potholes on the road and forget that these do cause traffic jams,” he added. “Minsan, hindi gumagalaw ang traffic pero ang dahilan pala ay may uka o lubak sa kalye na iniiwasan ng mga motorista (Sometimes, there is a heavy traffic due to potholes being evaded by motorists).”
While it would be impossible to make roads waterproof, Recto said potholes could be patched immediately.
Recto earlier prodded the government to ensure that any traffic plan under the emergency powers being sought for President Rodrigo Duterte must include projects that would prevent monstrous gridlocks during rainy days.
The Senate committee on public services chaired by Senator Grace Poe has already started its deliberations on the proposal to grant the President emergency powers to address the traffic crisis. RAM
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