DPWH to bid out Leyte’s ‘Great Wall’ project next month

TACLOBAN CITY, Aug. 23 (PNA) – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) regional office here will proceed with the bidding of some subsections of the PHP7.9 billion tide embankment project in September after months of design changes and consultations.

Changes in project specifications particularly in some parts of Palo, Leyte have been approved by the DPWH central office, said DPWH Eastern Visayas Regional Director Edgar Tabacon.

For this year alone, the allocation is PHP1.46 billion to kick of the construction of structures designed to shield coastal communities from the impacts of rising seas.

The revised design incorporates recommendations of local government units, affected residents and experts, according to Tabacon.

“The project should have been started early this year. There will be spill over for few months for these batches and these will be extended until end of next year,” the official said.

The DPWH regional chief is unsure when to proceed with the project in Tacloban City due to slow pace of relocation of affected families from coastal areas to northern resettlement sites.

The 27.3-kilometer “Great Wall” project stretches from Diit village in Tacloban to Cabuynan village in Tanauan town. Sections 1 to 3 are in Tacloban, section 4 are the coastal villages of Tacloban and Palo, section 5 are some areas in Palo and Tanauan, and section 6 in Tanauan town.

The four-meter high structure, designed to shield coastal communities from big waves, was pushed through by the previous administration after the 2013 storm surges wipe out neigborhoods in Leyte province.

The PHP7.9 billion project include civil works and right of way acquisition broken down in four years – PHP1.46 billion for 2016, PHP1.19 billion for 2017, PHP2.64 billion for 2018, and PHP2.64 for 2019. (PNA)
FPV/SARWELL Q. MENIANO