Villar: Coastal road passable by November

The stalled coastal road project, expected to help ease traffic congestion along CM Recto Avenue, may finally be open to motorists this November.

In a Facebook post Sunday, August 13, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the 12.77 kilometer coastal road highway which will serve as a bypass road from barangay Gusa to barangay Igpit, Opol in Misamis Oriental will be completed.

But Vinah Maghinay, DPWH-10 spokesperson, said according to the project engineers, November is still a target as negotiations are still ongoing, particularly with Conrad Lim whose property sits across the path of the coastal road project.

Maghinay also clarified that only the Gusa to Agora stretch of the coastal road will be opened.

“Aside from Conrad Lim’s property, we have other 6 right of way issues pa that needs to be resolved. Pero ang Lim property ang medyo problema gyud, but at least positive na ang lakaw sa negotiations, unlike before na dili gyud makig-storya sa DPWH,” Maghinay said.

“Paningkamotan nga ma okay na gyud ang negotiations especially naa pud agreement between our regional director Virgilio Eduarte and Conrad Lim to finally resolve this problem,” she added.

Lawyer James Judith meanwhile claims that Villar and Lim had back channel talks to resolve the right of way issue to finally clear the way for motorists.

Judith, who sent a petition to Malacañang last June 22 urging the President to intervene and help settle the issues with Lim, said according to his reliable source, Villar and Lim signed a memorandum of agreement to end the land dispute.

“Ang nakabutang sa MOA, mao nga basically okay na si Mr. Lim nga igive up ang disputed property. Ang kondisyon lang nga ang DPWH ang mag reinstall sa property na idemolish didto sa boundaries gyud sa titled property. Meaning, the fence of the reclaimed property will be moved to Mr. Lim’s originally owned property, and without compensation,” he added.

He said in turn, Lim will now allow the DPWH to enter his property to continue the stalled project, without being held liable under the law.

“Nagpasalamat ta nga gipaminawan ta, ug malipayon pud ko nga naay natabang for nation building eventhough I am not a public official,” he said.

The coastal road project, which began construction in 2008, has been ongoing intermittently for 9 years now.

According to DPWH records, the government has already spent and utilized P3,649,109 of the P4 billion estimated cost of the project.

The project is already 93 percent complete, citing that of the 12.77 kilometer measurement of the project, 11.87 kilometer is already done.