P100-M restoration work done on Cordillera roads

By Dexter A. See

BONTOC, Mountain Province — At least P100 million in infrastructural restoration and repair projects were poured into the Cordillera region, following the devastation wrought by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” late last year.

The Department of Public Works and Highways said the allocation for these construction works represents a portion of the savings from the P5.2-billion State of the Nation Address projects of President Arroyo.

However, DPWH-Cordillera Administrative Region officials said at least another P100 million is still needed to fully-restore the damages sustained by the 180-km Halsema Highway and the 203-km. Bontoc-Tabuk-Tuguegarao Road.

DPWH-CordilleraAssistant Regional Director Alexander Castañeda, who is also the SONA project coordinator, said the two major roads had suffered P200 million in damages ranging from collapsed retaining walls and sunken pavements as well as landslides and road cuts, among others, due to the onslaught of Ondoy and Pepeng.

“Because of such damages to the projects, the traveling public and local residents have constantly been inconvenienced by the said damages on the road which affected the smooth flow of vehicular traffic up to the present,” said Castañeda.

Engineer Nestor Nicholas, deputy SONA project coordinator, said the agency was forced to utilize a portion of the SoNA project savings to initially restore road cuts and removal of landslides for the benefit of the motoring public.

Nicholas said part of the funds were also used to install pavement markings and road signs in order to guide motorists of the newly-constructed pavements along the two major roads linking the interior parts of the region.

Castaneda said the agency was forced to utilize the SONA project savings to restore calamity damages since the supposed faster travel from Baguio City to Mountain Province has been greatly affected depriving tourist destinations from being frequented by foreign and domestic tourists due to poor condition of the roads such as unrestored road cuts and slope protection walls.