This is a photo of the excavation works of JFAP Construction at Wilson Street in Barangay Lahug, Cebu City taken on Feb. 1, 2023.| Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — An Ormoc-based construction firm is in hot water after the Cebu City Traffic Management Coordination (TMC) Board has recommended to the Office of the Mayor its blacklisting due to a P115-million pipe-laying project mess.
In its resolution dated March 14, 2023, the TMC Board has recommended to the Office of the Mayor the “perpetual disqualification” of JFAP Construction in the issuance of any work permits or the granting of awards on any constructions within Cebu City.
A copy of this signed resolution was endorsed to the city council in a letter during its regular session on Wednesday, April 12, 2023.
The TMC Board, after their assessment and investigation, said the JFAP construction failed to deliver its obligations to the city, by failing to complete a multi-million pipe-laying project, which spans from JY Square Mall along Salinas Drive in Barangay Lahug until Lobregat Property, Nivel Hills, in Barangay Busay, that should have been completed by December 4, 2022.
The TMC Board said that JFAP also incurred numerous violations of various traffic ordinances of the city, such as City Ordinances (CO) 1618, CO 2135, and CO 801 or the “Traffic Code of the City of Cebu,” as amended by CO 2218. Both CO 1618 and CO 2135 regulate street diggings and provide penalties for violations thereof; the latter also regulates excavation, restorations, installation of overhead and underground main and secondary utility/service lines, and other related infrastructure activities within the City and provides corresponding penalties for violations thereof.
The multi-million pipe-laying project was commissioned by the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) for its water pipes.
INCONVENIENCE
The 2.7-kilometer pipe-laying project started in November 2021 and was expected to be completed in August 2022, but due to various causes of delay cited by the contractor, the completion date of the project was then moved to Dec. 4, 2022. However, until now, the project remains incomplete.
A member of the TMC Board, who asked not to be named, told CDN Digital that there was a point when the project was either temporarily abandoned or was undertaken “only by a handful” workers.
“Ang grabeng kahasol nga nahatag nila sa publiko kay ang ilang unfinished projects gibiyaan nga tagdugay kaayo ug way magtrabaho, posing as danger to the motorists, prompted the traffic board to recommend for blacklisting,” he told CDN Digital.
(The inconvenience it brought to the public, because their unfinished projects were left for a long time with no one working on it, posing as danger to motorists, prompted the traffic board to recommend [the construction firm] for blacklisting.)
The Department of Public Works and Highways also flagged JFAP Construction for continuing with the project on January 2023, along Veterans Drive, despite expired city and DPWH permits.
According to the TMC Board, JFAP has even excavated Marconi Street, Pasteur Street, and Wilson Street without any excavation or work permit and temporary road parking permit from the city, despite receipt of traffic citation tickets issued by Cebu City Traffic Enforcers.
Another infraction cited by the DWPH is an illegal deviation of actual excavation works, including the construction of manholes, which were not stated in the submitted approved plan, a violation of the provisions of DPWH Department Order No. 26 series 2011.
CDN Digital tried to reach JFAP for comment on the matter but received no response as of this writing.
Last January, the TMC Board, in a resolution, also directed the CCTO not to grant any permits for road closure to JFAP Construction, for its failure to secure permits from CCTO since it started the project.
/bmjo
RELATED STORY: