Fernando appeals to contractors: “Change not only one but all six rubber gates of Bustos Dam”

CITY OF MALOLOS– In his recent meeting with the National Irrigation Administration, Governor Daniel R. Fernando reiterated his demand to the contractors of Bustos Dam to not only repair the damaged rubber gates at Bay 5 but to replace with six brand new and superior materials.

“Dapat lamang palitan ang lahat ng rubber gate sapagkat hindi nasunod ang specification ayon sa nagpakasunduang materyales tulad ng nakasaad sa kontrata ng NIA. Bakit naman po mababang kalidad ng mga materyales ang ginamit sa rehabilitasyon ng Bustos Dam sa kabila ng malaking pondong inilaan dito?” Fernando said.

He further revealed that when the rubber bladders failed the qualifications prescribed by the third-party testing of an Australian company, it further proved that the materials used were indeed substandard and inadequate.

Fernando tagged the situation “an accident waiting to happen” considering that studies and reports showed that thousands of lives and billions of pesos are at stake.

The governor declared the current condition of Bustos Dam analogous to the cause of the death of the five Bulacan Rescue personnel in San Miguel which the police report stated that “they drowned when a wall collapsed and unleashed a heavy volume of water”.

“Hindi po ako titigil hangga’t hindi natitiyak ang mga maliwanag at konkretong hakbang upang mabilisan at permanenteng masolusyunan ang problema na ito. Gusto kong makatiyak na ang Bustos Dam, at ang lahat na ating dam sa lalawigan ay nakatutugon sa mahigpit na pamantayan ng kaligtasan,” he added. ###