Saturday, June 15, 2013

An Open Letter to DPWH

Dahil hindi ko na kinakaya...

This was emailed to DPWH today, at 6:30am. Automated response says to expect reply in 5-10 days. I shall wait!

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To Whom It May Concern:

Good day. I am a professor at Ateneo de Manila and I teach college students aged 17-20. They have all sorts of questions for me, and as their teacher, it is my job to give them sensible answers. Or help them find these answers.

An interesting question that has pervaded our recent discussions is how there's always reconstruction going on in our roads. Let me simplify everything, exclude emotions and angst, and just humbly ask these questions to you of which I expect answers for. We'd rather hear it from you, OUR DPWH.

1. Why do we keep on digging and reblocking our roads (for me, I always get caught in traffic in Munoz Edsa, and today there's another ongoing construction)? I don't really know anything about engineering- but these roads/lanes look perfectly ok- I drive breezily on them. Please enlighten me as to why you have to do it.

2. If we've been reconstructing seemingly fine roads, WHY NOT reconstruct the ones which are in a much worse condition (I mean, really bad)? Take EDSA in front of Trinoma (uneven roads for crying out loud, too uneven an infant could notice it) for example, or Cubao. Don't they need much IMMEDIATE repair?

3. I know you've been reblocking all year round, but how come in Manila (Abad Santos, Rizal Ave), most road works are happening now- further aggravating the traffic situation, what with the start of classes and the rainy season. I really have to ask, WHY?

4. How come some road works remain idle (you don't see anyone working on them or removing the orange cones even if they've been dry for a while. Yes, they're dry- it's been a week)? This case doesn't help us. It pains us, motorists, and it makes us mad.

As I hope you could tell, I am a concerned citizen of this country, and I could bet that I am one of the most disciplined citizens this country has today. With that, let me claim my right to know about the answers to the questions above. I highly expect the answers from you as you proclaim that you're a department we can reach.

I thank you in advance.

Sincerely,
Aileen Garcia