“A failure will not appear until a unit has passed final inspection.”
—Arthur Bloch
By Alex P. Vidal
IF the flood control project anomalies were not uncovered, no high-ranking official from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) would schedule a visit to inspect the Aganan Flyover in Pavia, Iloilo, a parallel project of Ungka Flyover, which is also facing delays and increased costs.
Like the scandalous Ungka Flyover that ballooned from P680 million to nearly P1 billion, the cost of Aganan Flyover also reportedly rose from initial P560 million to over P802 million and needing more funds.
For more than two years now, Ilonggos bellyached and wished that someone stronger than Hercules and influential than Judas Iscariot would finally cross the Rubicon.
The Aganan and Ungka flyover projects aren’t related to flood control, but because the Marcos Jr. administration is now hot after the heels of corrupt, inept, negligent and incompetent contractors and their DPWH cohorts, even farm-to-market road and bridge projects are now included on Big Brother’s radar for “thorough” review and investigation.
The one that faced major structural issues like sinking piers and vertical displacement, causing partial closure is actually the Ungka Flyover.
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DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon’s scheduled January 19 ocular inspection of the controversial project was only made possible because of mounting pressures from irate Ilonggo motorists who felt betrayed and hoodwinked after years of uncertainty and frustrations.
But even if Dizon would dip his finger into the alleged mess the Aganan Flyover is in, there is no assurance his visit will ignite vigilance and diligence among some lazy, unproductive and deceptive local DPWH officials, their subalterns and fraudulent contractors.
These opportunists and scalawags are aware Dizon isn’t married to his position and serves only at the pleasure of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Sooner or later, the hard-working and fearless cabinet official will either transfer to other appointed national offices or run for an elective position. Or retire.
If this happens, it will be a case of “happy days are here again” for the ruffians thus, it won’t hurt if they coquet and play footsie while hobnobbing with the visiting popular cabinet official.
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ALTHOUGH we grew up in the tropical Asian pacific region, we still prefer snow in winter season over humidity in summer season in the United States.
Over the past three days, however, we experienced an extra-ordinary weather condition in the East Coast; we felt much colder than parts of Alaska, the United States’ largest state by area, located in the northwest extremity of North America, during intense Arctic blasts.
This divergent weather pattern especially in New York City was caused by wind chills dropping to single digits in January 2026, making it feel colder than Anchorage, which experienced milder winter conditions at the time.
While Alaska is generally much colder overall, specific cold snaps in New York City, fueled by polar air, created temporarily harsher "feels like" temperatures than some Alaskan locations.
During winter, snow falls on the East Coast due to the clash of frigid Arctic air from the north with warm, moist air from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
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It creates powerful winter storms like Nor'easters, driven by a dipping jet stream, which brings freezing temperatures and precipitation across the region, including the Interior Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and even parts of the Southeast.
Sever snow always caused travel disruptions, causing accidents and delays, severe economic impacts from business closures and cleanup, significant health risks like frostbite.
It could also cause hypothermia, falls, and cardiovascular stress, and infrastructure damage from weight and melting, leading to power outages, roof collapses, and burst pipes, plus exacerbating pollution issues.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that heavy snow can immobilize a region and paralyze a city, stranding commuters, closing airports, stopping the flow of supplies, and disrupting emergency and medical services.
The weight of snow can cause roofs to collapse and knock down trees and power lines, added the NHS.
Homes and farms may be isolated for days, and unprotected livestock may be lost, it warned further.
In the mountains, heavy snow can lead to avalanches. The cost of snow removal, repairing damages, and the loss of business can have severe economic impacts on cities and towns, according to NHS.
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LET'S NOT FORGET OUR MEDS. Patients who bring their own medications with them to the hospital are half as likely to experience drug-related medical errors as people who forget them, a recent Australian study found. LG said the most common mistake: People didn't get necessary meds, like blood thinners and insulin, for preexisting health conditions.
NEW RULE FOR SPOTTING SKIN CANCER. Size matters less than we think whe it comes to better skin cancer detection. Current guidelines used to detect abnormal moles stipulate that people should look for moles only greater than 6 mm, or larger than a pencil eraser. "But size is increasingly arbitrary and irrelevant," says researcher Stuart Goldsmith, MD.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)
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