Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and DPWH 7 officials headed by Director Ernesto Gregorio Jr. met for the second time on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023 to talk about the problem, especially in Oslob town where there are several potholes.
One of the potholes in the municipality that went viral in the social media was planted with elephant ear (badiang) to prevent motorists from getting stuck in it.
Garcia cited the provision under Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 that the national agencies must involve the local government unit in the implementation of projects, especially road rehabilitation.
To speed up the road rehabilitation project, damaged roads will be covered with asphalt without scraping it.
Aside from Oslob, there are also damaged roads in the municipalities of Argao, Boljoon, Dalaguete, Samboan and Santander in the second district, which has been known as one of the tourist destinations in Cebu, that need immediate attention.
Last month, reacting to the viral photo of men growing a plant in the pothole on the national highway in Oslob, the Capitol had said it was the DPWH that had jurisdiction over national highways. Capitol said it was responsible for maintaining and improving only provincial and barangay roads. (PAC / TPT)