Skyway accident puts DMCI in a bad light -- again

THE incident mid-Monday afternoon at the Skyway project along Andrews Avenue, near the NAIA Terminal 3, was an accident waiting to happen.

About a week ago, we were passing by the area and noticed how fast work was being done there. However, we also noticed that the crane seemed heavily burdened while lifting heavy materials, as if it was gonna break or give way at any given moment. Thus, we decided to speed up while taking the outermost lane.
   
My good and very efficient friend Henry Atuelan of DZMM ran to the scene the other day to do a first-hand story on what happened.
   
Reportedly, a girder launcher on a portion of the ongoing Skyway construction project in Pasay City fell on at least five vehicles. A girder launcher is said to be used for lifting heavy concrete slabs and the incident took place near the southbound lane of Tramo-Andrews Avenue area.                                                                 
   
From talking to some of the engineers and personnel working in the area, Henry gathered that the incident was nothing new. They also told him that the same kind of thing already happened in the recent past in Sucat while they were also working on a project.                                                                                              
     
If this is so and if the same Sucat project is under the same company,  does this mean that the DMCI failed to learn its lesson or simply didn’t work on improving on anything at all so as to avoid a repeat of the same incident which poses threat to the lives, limbs and properties of hapless motorists? If so, it has proven to be unfit to handle such a huge-budgeted project.
   
If the said Sucat project, on the other hand, was the work of another company, then the engineers handling it -- being the same handling the NAIA project -- apparently are as unfit to undertake such projects.                   
   
The DMCI, if you will recall, is the same company that began building the infamous Rizal monument photo bomber Torre de Manila, until the High Court ordered it stopped based on a petition filed by concerned sectors who want to preserve the ‘vista’ of our national hero’s monument. 
   
By the way, since news came out that the building of the said high-rise condo had been ordered stopped, take a look and find out for yourselves that construction, seemingly, was not put on hold.                                                                                                                           ***                   
   
The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) under the helm of its manager, ret. Gen. Jose Angel Honrado, deserves to be lauded for quickly coming to the rescue of air passengers who were unduly stranded as traffic came to a virtual standstill owing to the Skyway project incident near the NAIA 3. Andrews Avenue is one of the major thoroughfares leading to our NAIA terminals.      
   
Because of the heavy traffic resulting from the incident which inevitably graduated into a standstill, thousands of passengers had to walk toward the airport -- be it NAIA 1, 2, 3 or 4 -- with some missing their flights.                                                          
   
Immediately about an hour or so later on the same day, the MIAA turned to the mainstream and social media and advised all NAIA passengers to avail of the NAIA Free Shuttle Service to bring them to NAIA Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4.                         
   
Passengers coming from the Pasay area or Terminal 3 were advised to proceed to the Circulo del Mundo (Gate 101) area where the bus had been  stationed to pick up passengers. Those coming from Sucat or Parañaque area, meanwhile, the shuttle buses can be found at the Curbside Arrival Level near the Security Building.                                                                                                       The buses were made to pass through the airside of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport escorted by security to ferry passengers to and from the four NAIA Terminals. 

What can I say? Kudos to the MIAA and thumbs down to the DMCI!!!   

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