Ma of motorist killed in freak accident along Cotabato road to sue contractor, DPWH

KIDAPAWAN CITY -The family of the motorist killed in a freak accident along Kidapawan-Makilala highway is set to sue the contractor and the public works and highways department in North Cotabato for their alleged failure to place early warning devices while the construction of a bridge there is ongoing. Nilda Madlos, mother of 27-year old Allen Roy, who was killed when he plunged onto the Saguing River in Makilala town on January 1, said they want justice for her son’s death. Nilda said her son was driving a borrowed Honda motorcycle, around 4 a.m., on New Year’s day, when he passed through a closed lane because of the alleged lack of signboards and devices to warn the drivers from using the road. It was dark then.No reflectors.Only torn and damaged signboards.Instead of steel or wood, they used a tie to block the path,” said Nilda. sand//scontent-hkg3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1935393_10207264269419295_1731445465363969789_n.jpg?oh=748334a481d2b0e3270f5abd2d22c251andampoe=5702271E Nilda said they want justice for her son’s untimely death. A week before Madlos’s death, a member of the Kidapawan City council has almost plunged onto the river because of the lack of warning devices in the area. Kidapawan City councilor Jivy Roe Bombeo told traffic enforcers that he thought the construction was already completed as the lane, which used to be closed since November, was already open.He was driving his car at night on his way to the city. Bombeo, according to the Traffic Management Unit, has also informed the DPWH about the issue. Kidapawan City councilor and engineer Peter Salac, chair of the SP Committee on Infrastructure, is set to conduct an investigation of the case in aid of legislation on Tuesday. Salac said they already received a number of complaints from commuters and drivers about the lack of proper warning devices placed on road projects along Kidapawan-Makilala highway. Engineer Elpidio Birog, district engineer for the first engineering district of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in North Cotabato, denied the allegations hurled against his office. He said the public was given enough warning while the bridge is being constructed.Also, they tasked a project engineer and a resident engineer to conduct a regular monitoring of the project. The project started in November 2015 and is set to be completed in May 2016 using funds from the DPWH. He blamed some residents in the area for the damages in the signboards. Also, there were trucks and passengers vans that used the closed lane as parking space. When these truck and van drivers left the place, they don’t put back the signboards to their original spots,” some personnel at the DPWH said. The contractor, Robeth Construction Supply, cannot be reached for comment. sand//scontent-hkg3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtp1/v/t1.0-9/10313544_10207264270419320_2389278418267014302_n.jpg?oh=975009fd06803e571b807d3288df7013:ampoe=574814F5