Contractor says sorry, explains Esplanade controversy

The contractor of Esplanade 6 in Iloilo City apologized for the uproar caused by the presence of their car inside the ongoing project.

In a statement to Daily Guardian, Roprim Construction apologized to the City Government after stills and videos of their vehicle traversing the Esplanade went viral on social media.

The firm owned by Engr. Ronnie Primaylon said they had no intention to violate rules that ban the entry of vehicles in the linear park.

The Department of Public Works and Highways earlier said Esplanade 6 has yet to be turned over to the agency and the city government which will oversee its upkeep.

According to Engr. Primaylon, his two children, who also work for their company, drove the car for their routine inspection.

His daughter is the finance officer of their company while his son is one of their project engineers who oversee their contracts.

The duo went to Esplanade 6 to inspect the workers and the progress of the project, which spans the banks of Iloilo River between Jalandoni Bridge to MIWD area.

The engineer-son brought with him a drone which they usually use to inspect their projects, especially for areas that might need corrections or additional works.

The daughter was also in the area to check on the workers if they are working.

Engr. Primaylon said it so happened that his engineer-son uploaded the drone video to YouTube which caused an uproar on social media.

He assured that the presence of his two children was never for any frivolous reasons or in defiance of rules and regulations on the use of Esplanade. He also noted that they also drive their firm’s other service vehicles in Esplanade 6 when inspecting the ongoing works.

Since the project has yet to be turned over to the government, Roprim Construction said it is still responsible for whatever happens to the multimillion-peso project.

 

INSPECTION

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6 will conduct an inspection on the ongoing Esplanade 6 project.

Engineer Mavi Gustilo, project engineer of DPWH-6, said the contractor will be held liable for any damages incurred on the structure after the incident.

“Under na sa contractor, risgo ya na. Mapaconduct inspection si City Engineer Rodney Gustilo parte dira so whatever maincur nga damage dira sa structure, ihold liable sila kay sila ang responsible sina kag ipaliwat sila,” she said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

Gustilo said they already called the attention of the contractor and they already apologized for the incident.

The construction of the third and last phase of Esplanade 6 which stretches from Jalandoni Bridge going to Forbes Bridge fronting the Metro Iloilo Water District building is still ongoing.

It is yet to be turned over to the city government, Gustilo said.

Once turned over and the Iloilo City government issues its acceptance, the city government will take charge of maintaining and imposing restrictions on the area.

The agency said they are planning to install movable bollards in the area to prohibit vehicles from entering the linear park.

Gustilo reminded the public that cars are disallowed from parking and passing through the linear parks in the metro, particularly portions that are now in the care of the local government. (FAA and ERS)