Benguet to get P680 M rehabilitation of roads

By Dexter A. See

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Progress is expected to trickle down to remote places in the province of Benguet once the national government will start implementing the programmed P680 million rehabilitation of various national roads that will steadily jumpstart the much awaited improvements to various road networks.

Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, chairman of the House committee on public works, said the aforesaid amount was already included in the House version of the P1.64 trillion national budget next year so that better linkage between the rural and urban areas will be improved for the sake of the local agriculture industry as well as the convenience of motorists.

Cosalan said infrastructure is one of priority projects which must be implemented in the province, especially in remote areas so linkage with urban centers will be improved for increase of economic activities.

Cosalan added the province, especially less developed towns, urgently need immediate improvement of infrastructure that will help improve accessibility from the farms to markets so thousands of farmers will reduce transportation cost of their products and increase income generated from the lucrative vegetable industry.

The national and secondary national arterial roads included in the huge fund allocation for the province include the scenic Kennon Road, Marcos Highway, Naguilian Road, Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road, Baguio-Bontoc-Banaue Road, Itogon-Dalupirip Road, Baguio-Mt. Sto. Tomas Road, Gorel-Bokod-Kabayan-Buguias Road, and the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun-Buguias Road, among others.

Because of prior road networks in parts of the province, farmers usually encounter excessive transportation costs of their products from its source to the markets which are again sold to middlemen or Manila-based traders.

Benguet is the “Salad Bowl of the Philippines” considering that it is the major source of semi-temperate vegetables being sold in various markets in Manila.