By Angel Castillo

A PROJECT to upgrade Benguet’s road systems in Sablan that have been delayed for four months is undergoing dialogues between concerned parties in an attempt to resolve the matter and allow resumption of the P286 million project.

The project was intended to expedite the transport of farm produce and other government services in areas covered by the project.

However, closure orders issued earlier by former mayor Manuel Munar Jr. and incumbent Mayor Alfredo Dacumos against the company’s batching plant delayed the completion of the project, with construction having been stalled by four months..

The batching plant is crucial for the provision of concrete for the project road system. It is equipped with support facilities and has a certificate of non-coverage from the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), according to Lawyer Edward Raymund Palsiw, counsel for private construction firm PHESCO Inc., the entity implementing the project.

The closure orders against the company’s operations say that the batching plant was operating without a business or mayor’s permit and outside the industrial zone.

However, PHESCO claims that the batching plant is mobile and can be removed once construction concludes.

With operations at a standstill, the local government of Sablan has initiated dialogues between the construction firm and the municipal government.