MORE NEWS, IFUGAO

DPWH, Ifugao execs agree on quarrying to hasten proj

BANAUE, Ifugao – Officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the provincial government here agreed on a regulated and limited quarrying at Mt. Polis to satisfy the aggregate requirements of contractors implementing the State of the Nation Address (SONA) projects of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the cordillera so that they could meet the prescribed deadline given by the President by the end of this year.

However, Gov. Teddy Baguilat said the provincial government will not issue the permit to conduct limited quarrying activities at Mt. Polis until such time that Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. shall have secured clearance from Malacanang and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) amending the Proclamation declaring Mt. Polis as a protected area.

In his recent visit here, Ebdane recognized the role of the municipal and provincial governments to protect the environment of the province being a prime tourist destination as well as the cease and desist order of issued to all quarrying activities in the area.

But he assured municipal and provincial officials that he will make the necessary representations with Malacanang and DENR to immediately amend the Proclamation declaring Mt. Polis as a protected areas and allowing limited and regulated quarrying activities in the area for the sake of the immediate completion of the SONA projects, particularly the 39-kilometer Bontoc-Banaue section of the Halsema highway.

“We will just allow the quarried area to be stabilized by the removal of loose rock formations to prevent further erosion. The limited quarrying activities would cover the aggregate requirements of the SONA projects in the province,” Baguilat stressed.

Ebdane informed local officials the President wants all her SONA projects in the region to be completed by the end of this year so that people and tourists will be able to enjoy the benefits of improved infrastructure in the countryside in the future.

Earlier, Presidential Management Staff (PMS) chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. asserted the need for both the local and national governments to work out “win-win solutions” in order to comply with the presidential directive to work 24-7 to make sure that the SONA projects will be completed as ordered.

The rehabilitation of the Halsema highway from Baguio City to Banaue, Ifugao is part of the Cordillera Road Improvement Program (CRIP), the blueprint of the development of road networks in the region, which was crafted by the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera in the early 1990s.

The RDC-CAR is calling for commuter vigilance so that the implementation of all SONA projects will be completed in due time with the highest quality so that the 20-year struggle of the region for national recognition of the need to improve cordillera roads will not be wasted.

Baguilat said they respect the desire of Malacanang to complete the project the soonest but it should not be to the extent of sacrificing the state of the environment, in the province so that the future generations will have something to treasure. -- Dexter A. See