GMA orders release of P70-M for Baguio road, school projects

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered the Department of Budget and Management to release at least P70 million in order to complete major road and school projects in this mountain resort city , her favorite place in spending Yuletide and Holy Week breaks.

The President’s order to release the funds for the city’s major projects came after the controversy on the alleged over P500 million which she earmarked for numerous development projects for the second district of Pampanga where she is seeking election for the congressional post.

Out of the said amount to be released, P60 million will be used to complete the two remaining packages of the 21-km Baguio circumferential road project while P10 million will be for the construction of a new building for the Department of Education Division of City Schools.

Rep. Mauricio G. Domogan said the President’s order to release the earlier earmarked amounts for the projects is timely since it will assure completion of the vital road network in the city.

The circumferential road project links the eastern part of the city in the Happy Hallow area and the city’s western part in Irisan through different interior routes without passing through the city’s congested central business district.

Domogan said the circumferential road project which was allocated a budget of P300 million in year 2000 was long overdue, thus, the need to already complete the same so that its purpose could be maximized for the benefit of the motoring public.

The two remaining uncompleted packages include road opening at the Balacbac to Camp 6 section and the road widening and concreting of the Happy Hallow section of the road.

According to Domogan, the P60 million is in addition to the P300 million budget for the road so that the escalation of prices which affected the project will be covered.

The circumferential road was envisioned to allow motorists from Irisan to go to the Camp John Hay and Happy Hallow area and vice versa without passing through the central business district area where travel could be delayed due to monstrous traffic jams.

The circuit road connects to the three major highways in the city, Naguilian road, Marcos highway and Kennon road, before reaching a desired destination in either the western or eastern part of the city.

The completion of the road project will open the floodgates for more investment opportunities in the undeveloped portions of the city, especially along the areas traversed by the road, and will also result in the increase in the zonal valuation of real properties.

The road project suffered serious setbacks in its early stages of construction after several sectors in the city questioned the project before the local courts which resulted to its delayed completion up to the present.