Dilapidated Zambo road sends woman to hospital

ZAMBOANGA CITY - A local woman landed in hospital after the motorcycle she was driving hit a pothole on a village while heading home.

A woman in Zamboanga City shows her injury after the motorcycle she was driving hit a pothole in the village of Pasobolong. (Photo by Al Jacinto)

Villagers rushed the injured woman to the Mindanao Sanitarium and General Hospital in Pasobolong village where she was treated - four hours later - by nurses. The woman suffered a cut in the head and bruising around her left eye due to the accident caused by the dilapidated road in the village.

"The road condition was really bad and I didnt even notice that there's a pothole and I crashed my bike really hard," she said.

Her 17-year old son, Junior, claimed her mother had to wait for four hours at the hospital before she was given first aid. "We waited for four hours before they treated my mother. It was a long wait," he said. 

The woman, who runs a small eatery at the Zamboanga City Public Market, said she was not able to work for several days due to her injury, and regretted the loss of income which the family rely on for daily expenses.

Potholes occur when the road surface deteriorates, leaving irregular holes in the pavement. Motorcycles are more vulnerable to potholes than cars. Hitting a pothole can cause loss of control, instability, and even a crash.

Many roads here are either dilapidated or in bad condition and have been the subject of many complaints by motorists. And not only that, there had been numerous road accidents due to the presence of stray dogs in the villages.

Mayor John Dalipe, who won the election in 2022, had campaigned on his party's platform of peace, progress and development for Zamboanga. 

But it's been two years now since Dalipe was elected and road repairs are still scarce, although there had been some road "reblocking" by the local government and the Department of Public Works and Highways in selected villages, however, many streets remain dilapidated.

Dilapidated roads in the village of Tetuan in Zamboanga City. (Photos by Al Jacinto)

In the village of Tetuan for example, the Falcatan street where traffic build-up is common during rush hour remains in bad condition, and so is the adjacent Don Alfaro Street where heavy hauler trucks frequently pass and adding up to the poor condition of the road. 

The Office of the City Engineer is tasked to prepare plans and programs of works and supervise or monitor the implementation of various infrastructure projects that will have significant social and economic impact to Zamboanga, but it has not released any progress reports, not even a press release. 

The El Niño phenomenon this year added to the woes and miseries of many motorists since there have been less public works in Zamboanga's villages due to the extreme heat wave. And with the midterm election next year, aspiring mayors will again promise and campaign for a better and progressive Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)