Update: Those who are not from Mt. Province but who are concerned about the project might also want to include their names. We will identify you as “Friends of Halsema/Mt. Province”. Thanks.
***
Now, here’s the open letter:
We are outraged at how the Halsema Highway Improvement Project in Mt. Province has been implemented. It has turned out to be another project in which hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ money were wasted. Worse, because of its sloppy implementation, a young father died in an accident.
The death of Mr. Winston S. Pawid diminishes us all. It indicates the loss of our moral and cultural values. Over the decades, many lives have been lost and resources wasted because of the worse conditions of roads. And yet millions of pesos have been spent for the improvement and maintenance of these roads. That we do not talk about these, either because we are afraid or simply because we are not directly concerned, forebodes that the bells will toll for our demise as an Igorot community.
It is with heavy hearts thus that we call the attention of our elected leaders, DPWH officials and engineers, and the concerned contractors who are supposed to be accountable in this project.
We ask:
Is this the legacy that you want to leave behind?
We take this initiative to speak and make a stand:
NO more substandard roads and projects!
We owe it to our children and grandchildren, whose future depends much on what our present generation chooses, or chooses not, to bequeath them.
A brighter future for all i-Mountain Province is all that we dream. Sapay koma!
Very truly yours,
Concerned i-Mountain Province
Edwin and Mia Abeya
Rockville, Maryland, USA
Sagada and Bontoc, Mt. Province
Raleigh Agdaca
Melbourne, Australia
Bart Alatan
Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Shimea C. Aniwasal
Florida, USA
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Connie Baluyan – Alfrido
Woodbridge, VA
Formerly from Balbalan, Kalinga
Charlton & Esther Aligmayo
Belleveu, New Jersey USA
Baguio City
Rose “Saydab” Alkemade
Melbourne, Australia
Sagada, Mt. Province
Chester Lee B. Alipit
La Trinidad, Benguet
John D. Allan
Chula Vista, CA, USA
Alab, Bontoc, Mt. Province
Joseph Apacway
Canberra, Australia
Paz Aptimes
Melbourne, Australia
Masla, Tadian and Sagada, Mt. Province
Willie Austria
Baguio Fil-Am
Norfolk, Virginia
Albert S. Bacdayan
46 Sterling Hill Road
Lyme, CT 06371
Byrne Bacwaden
Millersville, MD, USA
Besao, Mt. Province
Ray Baguilat, Jr.
Bolingbrook, IL USA
Gaye Balanay
Jeddah, KSA
Alab, Bontoc, Mt. Prov
Pangco Baniaga
Sagada, Mt. Province
Samson & Rebecca Baon
Jersey City, New Jersey USA
Baguio City/Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Edwin and Tina Basilio
Wellington, Florida
Georgina Basilio
West Palm Beach, Florida
Jaime Basilio
West Palm Beach, Florida
Harry P. Basingat
California, USA
Sagada, Mt. Province
Michael Batala
Salinas, California, USA
Gloria S. Batalao
Manteca, CA USA
Gilbert G. Batnag
Al Ain, Abu Dhabi
U.A.E.
Hilaria B. Batnag
Baguio City
Bauko & Besao, Mt. Prov.
Jonathan Bayogan
Davao City, Philippines
Tadian, Mt. Province
Janet Bawaan
Glendale, CA
USA
Benilda Comafay Bennet
Germantown, MD, USA
(Formerly from Bontoc, Mtn Province)
Jun and Lily Anne Beswilan
West Palm Beach, Florida
Bill Bilig
Sagada, Mt. Province
Daisy A. Bobeck
Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Rufino B. Bomasang
Paranaque, Metro Manila
Besao, Mountain Province
Patrick & Cristabel Bounggick
Vienna, Austria Europe
Bugang, Sagada
Mt. Province
Cecily (Cadaweng) Bourchier
La Trinidad, Benguet
Michael Bourchier
Melbourne, Australia
Leonardo R. Bugtong
Las Vegas, NV USA
Raymund & Marie Buking
Englewood, New Jersey USA
Bontoc/Sagada Mt. Prov.
Donald / Florence Cabay
Derwood , Maryland USA
Tadian / Bontoc Mtn Province
Fitzbert Cadiogan
Besao, Mt. Province
Antonio & Rosing Calado
Belleveu, New Jersey USA
Baguio City
William and Rosalynda Teckney Callagan
Indianapolis, Indiana USA
Sabangan and Sagada, Mt. Province
Emily Capuyan
Niagara Falls, Canada
i-Demang,Sagada
Catherine L. Carlin
Cleveland, OH
Sagada Mountain Province
Ceasar/Elisa Castro
Vancouver, Canada
Tadian/Sabangan, Mtn. Province
Tom and Mary Jane Cayad
Melbourne, Australia
Norma Panglao Chaudhari
Mclean, Virginia, USA
Melchora Calang-ad Chin
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Sagada, Mt. Province
Regie Chumacog
Riyadh, K.S.A
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Forrest & Mylene Comafay,
(Loc-ong Lords Lane,Bontoc)
Poway,Ca.U.S of A.
Nicolle Bangloy Comafay
Kyoto, Japan
Bauko/Bontoc, Mt. Province
Neil D. Culallad
Tsukuba, Japan
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Cornelia S.Cunningham
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Joseph & Christina T. Dagan
Garden Grove, California, USA
Nestor Damian
Calgary, Alberta Canada
Carmen Falancy Domondon
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Ifontok
Kenneth Daoey
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Jerry B. Dizon
Toronto, Canada
Pete Dominguez
Bauko, Mt. Province
Estifania Esparza
N. Las Vegas, NV USA
Joel Fagsao
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Daphne Marie Falag-ey
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Singapore
Deliuz M. Fermin Jr.
Hong Kong, SAR
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Brenda D. Fiagoy
Maryland, USA
Baguio City, Philippines
Geraldine L. Fiagoy
Baguio City, Philippines
Caridad B. Fiar-od
Besao, Mt. Province, Philippines
Douglas Fillag
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Isamoki, Bontoc
Mary Gayomba Flores
Port Hueneme, California
Alab, Bontoc
Francis Floresca
Baguio City,
Bontoc, Mountain Province
Angel Ullocan & Elizabeth Galas
Ewa Beach HI.
Ato,Sagada Mt Prov.
Elizabeth Gayumba
Penasco, New Mexico
Alab, Bontoc Mt. Prov.
George G. Gewan
Musuan, Bukidnon, Philippines
& Sagada, Mountain Province
Philippines
Imelda Manganip Giles
Georgetown, KY,USA
Besao, Mt. Province
Benie Jaime Girmond
Frankfurt, Germany
Gloria Golocan
Renton, WA
Ezra and Diga Gomez
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Tony Gomowad
Sagada, Mt. Province
Briccio Gulian
Sagada/TN
Lynette Gomez Habawel
New Jersey, USA
Bontoc, Mt. Prov.
Edward Haight
Fujimenoshi, Saitama-Ken, Japan
Sagada, Mt. Province
Gina Jaime HeΓ
Karslruhe, Germany
Eva Bauding Hubner
Frankfurt, Germany
Arlene Inga-an
Ramstein, Germany
Virginia Panglao Jester
Silver Spring, Md., USA
Gracia Kibad
St. Columban’s
Navan, County Meath
Ireland
Gaston P. Kibiten
Baguio City, Philippines
Bila, Bauko, Mt. Province
Clifford & Rachel Killip
Englewood, New Jersey USA
Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Ernest & Errub Killip
Glen Burnie, MD USA
Sagada/Bontoc Mt. Province
Erwin Killip
Engelwood, New Jersey USA
Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Teofilo Jr. and Teresita Killip
Bristol UK
Rosita Kubulan
Texas U. S. A.
Alredo Labfayong
Zuerich Switzerland
Cyprienne Mabanay Lacaden
Morristown, New Jersey USA
Baguio City
Nick Lamsis
Cranford, New Jersey USA
Bauko, Mt. Prov.
Theodore M. Lardizabal, Sr.
Pompton Plains, New Jersey
Sagada, Mt. Province
Rose Puyao-Lingbawan
Tyson Puyao Lingbawan
Okusawa, setagaya-Ku, Tokyo
From Balbalan, Kalinga
Lydia Lingcayo
Toronto, Canada
Liezel Longboan
Cardiff, Wales
Malabong Longid
Sagada, Mt. Province
Lynn B. Macalingay
Wilmington, MA, USA
Besao, Mt. Province
Vicky Malinias
London,UK
Grayle Mangangey
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Ifontok
Ryan Mangangey
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Ifontok
Joan Mangusan
Kilong, Sagada
Roel & Annabelle Marcadesh
New York, New York USA
Manila/Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Esther Lacbawan Marshall
Jackson, New Jersey USA
Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Jaime and Sarah Masferre
Roseland, New Jersey. USA
Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Vemileen Baluloan-Maslan and
Jackstone Maslan
Tabuk City, Kalinga
Bauko/Sabangan, Mt. Province
Letty B. Masuda
Kawagoe City, Saitama, Japan
Sagada, Mt. Province
Annie Matsumura
Saitama-Ken, Japan
Sagada, Mt. Province
Emma Mitrovic
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Sagada, Mt. Province
Henry Molintas
Olney, Maryland, USA
Joan Moguet
Silver spring, Maryland, USA
Poblacion, Sabangan, Mt Prov
Mellane Moguet
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
Sao,Sabangan, Mt Prov
Tess Oloan Nahlen and Hommer Baybay Nahlen
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Isamoki, Bontoc ya Ibesao
Jocelyn Noe
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA
Besao, Mt. Province
Raymund Oloan
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Isamoki, Bontoc
Maryknoll Padalla
Vienna, Austria
Jessie Padchonga
Pennsylvania, USA
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Lloyd B. Palangeo
I-Kin-iway, Besao
Pamela Palantis
Melbourne,Australia
Agawa,Besao, Mt. Province
Sylvia and Douglas Palmer
Seattle Washington
Sagada, Mt. Province/Peace Corp Volunteer
Jose Pampanico
Tokyo, Japan
Bauko/Sagada
Venus Peckley
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Isamoki, Bontoc
Daniel Peckley Jr,
Silahis Ocampo-Peckley
Kita-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Lilian Peleo-May
Kaitaia , New Zealand
IOmfeg ,Bontoc
Raymond Peleo
Csherry Jimenez Peleo
San Jose California
Ilocos/Omfeg,Bontoc
Jean Pengosro
Tokyo, Japan
La Trinidad, Benguet
Henry & Nellie Pit-og, Jr.
Centreville, Virginia, USA.
I-chak-chakan, Ifontok
I-Sagada
Lydia Pongtan
Toronto, Canada
Reginald & Donna Reyna
Long Island, New York USA
Baguio City/Bauko, Mt. Prov.
Cherry Ann Sad-ang
Toronto, Canada
Mr. & Mrs. Lambert Sagalla
New Jersey, USA
Besao and Bontoc, Mt. Province
Joseph & Beng Sagandoy
Muntinlupa, Metro Manila
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Samuel Saldaen
Buguias, Benguet
Joseph and Inez Saley
New Jersey, USA
I-Kapangan ya I-Sagada
Roy & Valentina Salvador
Parsipanny, New Jersey USA
Baguio City/Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Loreta Bosaing-Shibasaki
Tokorozawa City, Saitam, Japan
Sagada, Mt. Province
Gloria and Donald Simon
Glenview, IL
USA
Joyce Aniwasal Sola
Florida, USA
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Ray Solomon
[Email address redacted to prevent spam]
Romie Soria
Long Island, New York USA
Bontoc, Mt. Prov.
Sarah Baguiwet Souffrant
Harlingen, Texas
USA
Nelia Jaime Starke
Dietzenbach, Germany
Antonio & Linda Sucdad
Bergenfield, New Jersey USA
La Trinidad/Sagada, Mt. Prov.
Andrew A. Tauli
Payeo, Besao, Mountain Province
Herman and Lourdes Toyokan
Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Tony/Ching Trinidad
Queens, NY, USA
Bontoc, Mt. Province
Nancy Basilio Vargas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Nover/Betty Velasco
Benguet/Kayan
Hesperia, Calif. 92345
Fely Jaime Waltenberger
Spielberg, Germany
Jessica Jaime Waltenberger
Munich, Germany
Philian Weygan
Baguio City, Philippines
Besao, Mt. Province
Nestor A. Yodong
Sagada, Mt. Province
Note: Thanks to Dan Peckley for forwarding us this letter. If you are from Mt. Province and support this initiative, please include your name and address in the comments. Thank you.
RELATED POSTS: Safety First; Complaining Does Produce Results; GMA Urged to Probe Expired Halsema Contracts, Slippages; Halsema: One of the Worst Highways in the World; Gloria: My Father Built the Halsema Highway.
When I was at SLU, the top Civil and Geo engineers were from mountain province.
Surely they can form an independent pool of quality assessors to check that contractors are doing work according to specifications. I’m sure Bibak will be more than happy to do a fundraising to get it started.
(And the assessors should not be contractors involved in the project themselves….)
Who will receive this letter, and what concrete actions are expected to come out of it? I travel along the Halcema frequently (not as often as I’d like to though!) and I also hear a lot of stories from friends living in the Mountain Province about how life can sometimes depend on whether the roads are opened, closed, safe or hazardous, especially during the rainy season. I agree with the letter’s contents, but I think it could go beyond merely making a stand and actually make concrete demands for assessors, as Nash suggests, and also demands for accountability NOW instead of at some unspecified future.
hi bill,
cha napulitika et gamin ya nan projekto ay sa. SONA project pay met, dapat naited koma isnan kontraktor with complete equipment diba? apay pati samet pakyaw kontraktor ya nakikontrata? hayhayhay. kelan tayo a-asenso kung palagi nalang nakiki-alam mga pilitiko sa pagimplement at kung kanino i-a-award mga projects.Kanan Sec. Ebdane masukatan datusa ay substandard, ngem anto kay,masyado nang nahihirapan mga motorists/commuters. thank you. more power
i heard from the radyo ng bayan bontoc this morning that some 9 engineers from dpwh car have been suspended due to the misimplementation of those projects. the hosts of the radio program were careful not to mention names, though, so the veracity of their report still needs to be checked. they also said that some portions of the project which failed quality control tests that were conducted are now being demolished.
the demolition and future repair is clearly associated with its being a sona project as the anonymous commenter mentioned so i also agree with what nash says: an independent group of assessors is needed to ensure that contractors will stick to the specifications of their tasks. what happens then if the job wasn’t a part of the administration’s flagship projects?
Hi Nashman,
Good suggestion about forming an independent pool. Kaya lang I think most assessors would like to be contractors (hopefully, I’m wrong)so the tendency would be to not rock the boat lalong lalo pa sa MP where patronage politics has been the rule for ages. Thanks.
Hi Padma,
Good question as to the recipient. Haven’t actually thought of that. Although it is addressed to the iMountain Province, I’d like to think that it will be forwarded to concerned government officials. Hopefully Dan will clarify.
Good point about the need to go beyond making a stand. I think though that this a good start for MP (and a good continuation to Joel Fagsao’s letter) where, as I said to Nash, patronage politics has kind of muted dissenting voices in the past. So this is a good point to build on for future actions. Thanks much.
Hi Anonymous,
Owen man, everything is politicized sa atin kaya ito ang ating napapala. Buti na lang that there was an order to change it. Hopefully, they will do it soon para di mahirapan ang biyaheros. Thanks π
Hi Pagano,
Thanks for the update. Good point about it being a SONA project. Hopefully our government officials will be as strict in monitoring projects whether or not they are SONA projects kasi pera pa rin iyan ng bayan. Thanks again.
I think there is nothing wrong if the assessors will be contractors themselves but like in the justice system where judges can inhibit themselves for conflict of interest, the assessors can be drawn to do Quality Control for different projects. Para naman may gamit yang mga “Association of Civil Engineers”…etc…
And frankly, there is simply no excuse for an engineer doing a bad job so dapat lang silang suspendihin or tanggalin sa trabaho.
We’ll explore your idea, nashman. Thank you very much.
Hello Padma, although it is our intention to send the open letter to our elected officials in MP, the letter is actually more for our ourselves, the Igorots of Mt. Province. When the letter was being drafted, we also already started discussing what to do next. Interested to join these discussions? I think I met you once in UP. Silahis, my better half, introduced me to you? Magkasama yata kayo nun sa Kule?
Kailyan ay anonymous, nu ma-achi en post kaya en-sign ka. kagka faken ifontok ay. Fasor tako met lang man tay aped tako gamin ipalpalubos, i-khekenek nu waday maila takoy grabe ay niloloko ay ma-ang-angnen. Panga-asim ketdin ta itapim nan ngachan mo ay signatory.
Is-issuk ay pagano (nu mamingsan), tet-ewa nan kanam. Tip of the iceberg na ay kanan cha na. Panga-asim met lang kayya ta ken kad-waam si yun-a ay Bill
ay signatory nannay ay open letter.
Dan
Such letter is expected due to the recent casualty the ever dangerous Halsema highway again created. And beating up on the incumbent or suspended engineers inside and out is not going to solve the problem.
You can have the best civil and geodetic engineers as well as assessors assembled to plan the best road at Halsema and the main culprit is always there. THE LANDSLIDES! Just look at Kennon Road. It was beautifully built and paved, but it’s demise is the yearly rainfalls, deforestations that triggered the constant landslides.
We can always blame the government’s inability to offer a more plausible DPWH Director, or lack of funds since someone already pocketed the rest, but let’s be realistic. Granted halsema is nicely paved, would that eliminate the landslides? Agree it will solve travel time and ease the burden of those hardworking engines but the deadly nature of those mountainsides is a force to be reckoned with.
Went to school at ASMES Bontoc for two years a long time ago, so I’m familiar with that specific portion of road.
It’s only a perspective, nothing less..Cheers and goodhealth.
Yes, in this tragedy, it was a landslide.
However, it also showed that sections of the road itself were very thin….
And I’ve seen worse high mountain passes where good engineering and maintenance prevents landslides. The high atlas in morocco has a more dangerous highway in terms of gradient and height but with well paved roads, drainage system, and slope supports.
And if we’ve sunk so much money on Halsema, up to the gazillions, we should have asked the Swiss to do it. It’s false economy to go the cheapest option.
And still, an engineer who does his job badly has no business being an engineer. This is the commitment you have to make when doing public infrastructure.
While engineers were suspended from their jobs due to irregularities in the Halsema SONA projects, this is not to forget the real corruptors in this dirty game of highway corruption and who else but top DPWH officials, contractors and congressmen who are involved in this game.
Engineers undoubtedly were forced to implement substandard projects where SOPS and lagay given to congressmen, top DPWH officials, and contractors have already nipped sizable cuts from the original amount of the project.
This is public knowledge and advocacy should be moved further to exposing and getting these top corrupt officials and officers out of public service and not let the ax fall only to project engineers.
If we are serious in making a better Mountain Province and a better nation for that matter, let our voices be heared to get DPWH Director Alquiza out from his seat and investigate the involvement of Congressman Victor Dominguez in this dirty game of highway corruption. This is not to forget also the erring contractors who should be terminated of their contracts and their licenses as well.
Still, with lots of money put into the project, there should have been improvements on the Halsema Road. Maid met maila!
Count me in. Asop ya waday enfanakhana.
Fongakhan
Bontoc, Mountain Province
Dear Fellow Concerned Citizens,
Thank you for your concern. We will see what we can do with Halsema and the projects. But please help us also.
Coul it be that you and/or your relatives participated in the elections where these “i-mountain province” politicians were voted into office? Perhaps, just perhaps, you or your kin even cast their votes in their favor! If this is the case, I suggest you write yourselves and relatives to rethink and do something about this now and in the future.
Is it possible that you yourselves or your relatives are contractors now or were before? Talk to yourselves. What have you done before? How did you in all honesty do it? How do we deal with ourselves/our relatives, as contractors, from now on? (Can contractors among us or those who have contractor-relatives inform them to please sign a Letter from Good Contractors to condemn this practice among Bad Contractors, for instance? Can those with politician-relatives or close friends please ask “their politicians or friends” to sign a Letter from Good Politicians condemning the Bad Politicians involved in the Halsema Mess?)
Just thinking–hope this is not ‘lapse in judgement’.
Sincerely,
GMA, Malacanang
IKUNA- I Kid U Not Also
Add me up please.
Malabong Longid
Sagada
Do count us in please…
Lilian Peleo-May
Kaitaia , New Zealand
IOmfeg ,Bontoc
Raymond Peleo
Csherry Jimenez Peleo
San Jose California
Ilocos/Omfeg,Bontoc
Hi Nashma,
Yup, no excuse really. A faulty work by an engineer could cost lives. Thanks.
Hi Dan,
Yup. Its good to continue the discussion beyond this. But as I said this letter is a good thing to build. Thanks for working on it π
Hi Trublue,
Yup, there’s also the need to address the landslides. As you said, a nicely paved Halsema will continue to have problems if the portions above and below the road keep on falling down. Thanks.
Hi Nashman,
Tama ka diyan. If only we adhere to the same standards as the other parts of the world. Sometimes (or most of the time), nagiging palabigasan ang isang proyekto so officials/contractors/engineers/etc don’t do it well so they can have another project the following year. Thanks.
Hi Nadjhin,
Well said, my friend, well said. Parang kilala kita π hehe. Thanks.
Hi Fongakhan,
I have included your real name. Hope it is okay with you. Thanks.
Hi Anonymous a.k.a GMA,
Hehe, I was laughing while reading your letter, it’s quite good, if only the real GMA wrote it π
You’re correct of course. We really have to look at ourselves also on why corruption happens and continue to happen. Maybe because we’ve excused/rationalized it in the past if it involved people we knew.
Thanks again.
Hi Malabong,
Thanks kailiyan, I’ve included your name here.
Hi Lilian and Raymond,
Thanks to both of you. I’ve included your names too. Maybe you know of other people who also would like to sign. thanks again.
Bill, thanks a lot for your help. Can I share the comments here on the mountainprovince and Bibaknets yahoogroups?
Trublue, I am a geotechnical engineer and one of our jobs is to to come up with schemes to prevent or mitigate the effects of landslides. While it’s true that the occurrence of a landslide is very hard to predict, there are already established procedures to assess the landsliding susceptibility of a slope. There are already also mature technologies to prevent, minimize and mitigate landslides.
Nashman, couldn’t agree with you more.
Nadjin, yes, let’s all help each other move this ” further to exposing and getting these top corrupt officials and officers out of public service and not let the ax fall only to project engineers.”
Fongakhan, sala-salamat. panga-asi taku ta enti-tinnulong tako ay mang-sustain ken mang-iparagawag sina. Mid met lang teken nu faken chataku nan mangangnen san dapat ay ma-angnen.
GMA IKUNA, have worked with gov’t engineers before. I think I understand where you are coming from. Yes, let’s help each other.
Malabong, Lilian, Raymond ken Cherry, thank very much. Let’s reach out to more kailyans and convince them to join us.
I like this letter-protest about the Halsema brouhaha! May I just emphasize some points to be included in the letter. Major thing is the need to investigate Congressman Dominguez and his involvement in the Halsema controversy and urging DPWH Secretary Ebdane to make good his vows to suspend DPWH executives involved in the fiasco.
Siempre,the directions of this suggested inclusions in the letter will lead towards the most hankered for good governance, checking (or ending) traditional politics, and better services for our kakailiyan.
Matagotago tako am-in.
Hello again Nadjhin,
We are now working on a letter to be sent to Sec. Ebdane. Re: Cong. Dominguez, we know that he, as the representative of the lone district of Mt. Province, has had a big role to play in the budget appropriation for this project and in how this project has been so far implemented. The question is, do we have concrete proof of his complicity in the defective implementation of the project?
Matagotago tako am-in!
Hello Dan,
Please extend my regards to Silahis!!! How nice to run into each other here, thanks to Bill’s blog!
Thanks for inviting me to the discussions on what to do next for the Halsema. How might I participate? I’m sure a lot of people have a lot to contribute. I see that you already got a lot of valuable points of view just from all these comments. I do hope this can be kept going until we start to see some serious, corruption-free results!
cheers,
i-Cordi wannabe ;o)
Hello ulit Padma,
Kumusta daw sabi ni Silahis. The Igorots of Mt. Province in the Philippines and abroad have a yahoogroup:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mountainprovince/
You are welcome to join us.
Hi Dan,
The question is, as you have said, “do we have concrete proof of his complicity in the defective implementation of the project?”.
Am afraid the answer is in the negative as you may also know. Yet, the fact that Cong DOminguez was strongly airing over the radio that there was nothing defective or irregular in the implementation of the Halsema projects suggests his defense for the contractors and why why why the butterfly?
His actions make him a possible suspect in receiving or demanding cuts from the project funds, thus the need to subject him for investigation. Why all the defense?
Include the DPWH as one of the most corrupt agencies in the government as publicized and the notoriety and practise of top officials, Cong Dominguez be subjected to a public inquiry regarding this issue.
And a concrete proof to concretize this corrupt practise in government needs contractors’ and DPWH top executives to shed light on this matter. And will they is another question.
Yet if the on going investigation of top officials involved in this controversy does not include investigating Dominguez, then, another round of patronage politics will be heared in Mountan Province.
Hi Nadhjin,
You know more than most of us, the signatories of the letter, do about the issue.
I and perhaps all the signatories of the letter agree with you, Cong. Dominguez and all those accountable for the project should be investigated. I would say the chances of having him and the other culprits investigated would become bigger if we get 5,000 or so of our kailyans to sign the letter. Pagano is right, we need more signatories who are actually in Mt. Province. Nu dakayo ken Pagano ket based idsi sa ili tako, panga-asi yu ta tumulong kayo ay mang-combinsar san kakailyan tako tapno enperma da. Dakami ay kailyan yu ay da induno san teken ay ili can only do so much.
As I have said in my previous posts on Bibaknets, one of the objectives of the letter is to ensure that the actions being undertaken now to correct the defective works of the project will be carried out as required. I would also like to believe that with this letter, we, the i-Mt. Province, will become more vocal and assertive in demanding better implementation of gov’t projects in the province and that we will become more discriminating in choosing our leaders come election time.
Maid mangangnen san dapat ay ma-angnen nu baken met lang datako.
Hi Dan,
Wen ngarud ya. I wish am home-based tapno I can rally people to get signatures. Am also out in here in the wilderness doing whatchamacallit. Anyways, I will try to email some friends tapnu they give in their signatures.
I salute you for this signature campaign you are doing and I wish to see you someday and talk more about our dear Mountain Province.
As Igorots who are into the dap-ay and ator and am-amlang, kasapulan tet-ewa ay ituloy nan mangtukar and action on these issues which affect us directly.
Keep the fire burning!
it’s been almost three months since the last comment on the halsema issue. what has happened? any new developments?
keep up fellow cordillerans… chow!
The halsema issue was long before when i was still young. repairs and constuctions has been done but still we have that rugged and dusty halsema up to January, 2008 when i visited my beautiul home town.
personnally, much have been said about the project, the trapos of Cordillera. ewan..sana naman let us all strive to make a change (for the political leaders). Wish ko lang… to have a more active, dynamic,brilliant, HONEST and GOD fearing man in the political seats. Those who have the concern on the needs and the welfare of the IMOUNTAIN PROVINCE.
We hope to see updates in the next months and yeah hopefully a better halsema by March….
HAPPY VALENTINES…
Happy Velentines to one & all!
Hi anonymous (4:51),
I’ll try to do updates in the coming days. Thanks.
Hi anonymous (3:13)
Thanks. We’re wishing for the same thing. Sana nga merong ganoong official sa atin. What a breath of fresh air that would be π
I just visited Mountain Provine last month and was so excited cause on our way to Benguet Side, It was a blust… very smooth driving. I remembered when I was in college, palagi na lang akong may bukol dahil nau-untog and aking ulo sa bus. I always hate travelling halsema Road then.
To my surprised when we reached Mountain Province side, hay!!!kasla manen idi 20 years ago. Karag-karag manen ti kalsada… It is even worst than before. I was wondering what will happen when typhoon hits the province… Students and farmers will be stranded in the streets again.I was talking to people about it and heard dirty stories about billions of money for the Halsema Project. Ay apo!!! Old, dirty style of politicians again??? when will they ever stop and think about the betterment of the people??? I just hope and pray that whoever is sitting in the” HOT SIT” will take his precious time to think and show to the people especially the young students who needs a well maintained road for their daily activities, that theres “hope” to this problem.
Come on… NO MORE BROKEN PROMISES!! Just do the best you can for the PEOPLE and not for someones pocket and fame….Thanks
maybe a foreigner contractor would solve. i don’t care how expensive they would ask. look how koreans built roads in the south(standard. wala na talaga akong tiwala sa pilipino(except for some of course)magaling daw tayo pero asan ang resulta? buwisit kayo talaga mga sakim sa pera!!!!!!! imagine how we lost tourism, industry etc. mountain province is a beautiful place, it could have been built like switzerland. please let foreign contractor do it(the only solution)
please don’t put dominguez again on this issue. the more kailians will suffer from the hands of these (tagabilang ng butiki sa congresso)!!!! not even his hometown sabangan looked like it has road in it. i have walked the same old road my entire childhood days going to my beloved barrio(thanks to the exercise)and until now my last visit was worst when i have to carry my child walking the same…
To our public officials elected or otherwise…. please forget about your pockets for once and think about the people whom you vowed to serve. Please make the Halsema road and other public projects true service to our people.Please do not make your office synonymous to coruption.
Hu aunt, how’s life ?? I wish you, Janzel and uncle Forrest are okay!!! i just want to say that we’re fine here…. we wish that this year you’ll be having a long time vacation here in Phillipines,, anti, agpagatangak mab ti cellphone or camera……….hehe,, sige powh bye2″””??????!!!!!!!!! u love you, aunt, JanZel, and uncle Forrest!! WE MISS YOU SO MUCH
We can’t change what we see if we will not change ourselves. Poor farmers will always lord the worst politicos if you know what i mean hehehe…….it’s politicians arithmetic. What we need is the old japanese true spirit that if you can’t do you promise/s resignnnn DON’T LET YOUR CHILDREN INHERIT THE SHAME oks ba?
Good Day, its nice, I agree and keep the good work
I JUST SAW THIS. WHAT HAPPENED NOW? KANEG MID MANGNGEG WENNO MAILA SI RESULTAN TO NA…. WHAT IS THE UPDATE… HOW CAN WE PROCEED FROM HERE… PLEASE POST
I JUST SAW THIS. WHAT HAPPENED NOW? KANEG MID MANGNGEG WENNO MAILA SI RESULTAN TO NA…. WHAT IS THE UPDATE… HOW CAN WE PROCEED FROM HERE… PLEASE POST
Anon/N: Hunt down Dan Peckley and Nadhjin, and others here who had solutions to our ever crumbling roads…wink!
As those “abroad people” signed their names and placed their “abroad address” in a lightning manner; they abandoned it in the same manner which was a foregone conclusion, when even the blinds were not convinced in the first place some positives will come out of the collective signatures. It was a charade..
Our despicable roads are still begging, when will I be handsome or beautiful again?
Hi! How are you? Hows the road in Mountain province now? Its been three years from the incident that was discussed above, did the road become better now? did the people selected a new sets of dedicated politicians? are there new sets of contractors and engineers who are implementing government projects properly? How many casualties have been recorded during the past three years in Halsema and other roads in Mountain Province? Hows the road to the ever popular tourist spot-Sagada? What happened to the sinking road in Otucan-is it cemented? What happened to the ever falling rocks along some parts of the road from sabangan to bontoc? How about that along pactil area? How about the road passing through natonin going to paracelis? Do these government projects generate jobs to the residents of the area? Ah just want to have a review, if this letter with great intention for change three years ago did not die here…….
Hi and kumusta? roads to the Cordilleras are the least well constructed but likely unreconstructed.. basta may construction – for the eyes to see only.
local politicians find it very hard to request for funds from the national govt – and the national govt sees the Cordilleras as least populated meaning less votes. However, politicians can still get funding – one way to make money is to get it unlikely constructed. True, the roads are not the best producing accidents during the rainy season. We.the Cordillerans are not pleased. Perhaps we should give the bidding to construct to a foreign contractor than our local kontraktors.