CITY OF MALOLOS — The Chinese rubber gate supplier on the rehabilitation works on Bustos Dam is set to inspect today (Saturday) the installation for the replacement on the damaged Rubber Gate 5 of the said dam.

This was confirmed to ARKIPELAGO NEWS BULACAN by Josephine Salazar, National Irrigation Administration (NIA) Central Luzon director.

The rehabilitation on the rubber gates of Bustos Dam is being conducted by its local contractor ITP Construction, Inc. and its Chinese rubber gate supplier Guangxi Hydroelectric Construction Bureau Co. Ltd.

The replacement rubber gate arrived in the country in October last year and was already set in place at Bustos Dam and will be inflated once the Chinese experts give their approval, Salazar said.

Meanwhile, the Chinese experts will also inspect the dam’s Rubber Gates 1,2, 3, 4, and 6 that are all still under warranty, Salazar added.

However, Salazar said no specific dates have yet been announced by the contractor and its Chinese supplier on when the five other rubber gates will be replaced.

It can be recalled that in May 2020, then-Bulacan Vice Gov. Wilhelmino Sy Alvarado exposed in his privilege speech at the regular session of the Sanguniang Panlalawigan the damage incurred by one of the six rubber gates due to its alleged inferior quality on the recently rehabilitated Bustos Dam.

The following month, Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando and other Bulacan and NIA officials inspected the damaged and other rubber gates of the newly rehabilitated Bustos Dam that still have warranties on the materials used.

In September 2022, Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando warned ITP Construction, Inc and its Chinese rubber gate supplier that they can face civil and criminal cases citing that the contractor has been ignoring the countless follow ups and demand letters sent to them by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in close coordination with the Provincial Government of Bulacan.

The governor has demanded that the contractor and its Chinese rubber gate supplier replace all the rubber gates that they have installed on the rehabilitation of Bustos Dam.

Photo: Mon Lazaro