Cordi needs P127 million to repair damaged Cordi infra

By Lito Dar

BAGUIO CITY -- The Department of Public Works and Highways needs roughly P127 million to repair and rehabilitate the infrastructure damaged by Typhoons Pedring and Quiel in the Cordillera.

This was disclosed by Cordillera DPWH Administrative Officer Rex Padereson Monday.

According to Paderes, Ifugao needs the biggest fund with close to P56 million in estimated damages, followed by Kalinga at P32.6 million, Kalinga P19.685 million and Benguet with about P19M in estimated damages.

Abra and Apayao, suffered the least damage with P205,000 and P329,000, estimated damages, respectively.

Paderes also bared that through the directive of President Benigno Aquino III and DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, their district engineers are now prioritizing the repair and rehabilitation of the damaged roads and bridges, especially critical areas where towns or municipalities were isolated.

He said regional DPWH personnel are presently in Ifugao, to oversee rehabilitation of an old bridge that would serve as a temporary access, in lieu of collapsed Burnay Bridge in Lagawe ,Ifugao.

According to Paderes, the said bridge, which costa P1.5 million, will only be a temporary solution as they will put in a new massive bridge that would cost about P42 million and which construction will take about three months.

On the Cordillera road network update, Paderes announced that aside from the Nueva Vizcaya-Ifugao-Mt. Province road that is closed to traffic due to the collapsed Burnay Bridge, as other roads in Ifugao that were closed to traffic were the Banaue-Hungduan Mt. Province road, particularly the Dugong – BanaoLagawe section; the Banaue-Mayoyao-Aguinaldo-Isabela Boundary road - due to collapsed Guihob Armco Bridge and a series of slides along km 355 to 364.

For Kalinga, Paderes reported there three national roads were earlier closed to traffic due to road cuts and series of slides including the Tabuk-Banue road via Tanudan-Barlig Road; Kalinga-Abra road and Mt. Province boundary – Calanan-Pinukpok-Abbut road.

In Mt. Province, the Mt. Province – Cagayan via TabukEnrile Road and the junction of Talubin-Barlig-Paracelis-Calaccad Road are still closed.

For Abra, Apayao, Baguio and Benguet – except the Shilan-Beckel road, Paderes also reported that all national roads in this provinces are open to traffic.