Wednesday, October 17, 2007

CEBUANO LEGISLATORS SEEK CREATION OF NEW ENGINEERING DISTRICTS

Cebu City (October 17, 2007) - Two Cebuano lawmakers are seeking to have DPWH Engineering Districts in their respective bailiwicks.
At present, fourth district representative Benhur Salimbangon along with sixth district representative Nerissa Soon-Ruiz, whose districts belong to the First Engineering District of the Department of Public Works and Highways, passed a bill that seeks to reconstitute the First Engineering District into two separate, regular engineering districts.
House Bill No. 2940 provides that the First Engineering District Office of Cebu Province shall comprise the City of Bogo and the municipalities of Tabogon, Tabuelan, San Remegio, Medellin, Daanbantayan, Sta. Fe, Madridejos and Bantayan.
While the sixth Engineering District will comprise the Cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, and the municipalities of Consolacion and Cordova.
Under the said bill, each of the engineering district shall be headed by a district engineer and the personnel, resources and equipment of the existing First Engineering District Office shall be divided between the two engineering offices in accordance with existing laws and regulations.
The two legislators expressed concerns over the inadequacy of services of the existing engineering district office to the infrastructure needs of the different cities and municipalities of the two legislative districts of the province “thus resulting to the unnecessary bureaucratic delays and other related problems in the implementation of public works.”
They also said that the present set up is also burdened with problems that hamper its ability to deliver services effectively and efficiently. This include poor distribution of personnel and inefficient implementation of projects, not to mention that these two legislative districts are far from each other.
The bill also intends to afford easy monitoring and implementation of projects, thereby ensuring a sensible and judicious spending of public funds.
For his part, Medellin Planning and Development Chief Giles Anthony Villamor welcomes the initiative of the two legislators saying that the move would likely result to better maintenance and more efficient services of the DPWH in the road network within in the midnorth, and thus, bringing the government closer to the people. (Roberto M. Cabardo/PIA AMO 7 Cebu)

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