Benguet Corp. extends road to mine tourist site

ITOGON, Benguet - Benguet Corporation has  extended and fixed the Baguio-Balatoc road to attract more tourists to its famous Balatoc Mines.

The 400-meter stretch of the road had a total project cost of P4.2 million chargeable against the company’s corporate social responsibility program.

Mignon de Leon, BC vice president for administration, said the long-term project is a collaboration of the mining company and the Itogon municipal government in order to improve tourist arrivals to the different ecotourism destinations in the mineral-rich town.

            

According to her, the newly concreted portion of the classified provincial road is from the Second Checkpoint down to the Keymen’s Hill section of the road, spanning more than 400 meters, with a cost of 4.2 million pesos.

De Leon disclosed around P3.2 million was shouldered by the company chargeable against the firm’s corporate social responsibility program while the municipal government shelled out P1 million to pursue the concreting of the provincial road to enhance tourism development.

‘We want to continue fulfilling our commitment to help develop our host and neighboring communities and enhance economic and tourism growth,” she said adding that With its completion, the concreted portion of the Balatoc Road now practically reaches near Balatoc Proper itself.

Last year, B.C. and Itogon joined hands in concreting the Keymen’s junction down to the Mines Office stretch of the road, a once problematic steep, especially during the rainy season.

De Leon revealed the company and the local government also shared their resources in completing the P2.4 million Dalicno Bridge that helped ease the difficulty of the commuting public in going to and from Dalicno proper, one of the host communities of the mining company.

In the past, BC used to maintain the Balatoc Road, but with the temporary closure of its mining operations in the area in 1992, upkeep of the road was not sustained by the local government and concerned government line agencies thereby resulting to its deterioration and bizarre situation.

The inauguration of the newly concreted road highlighted the activities of the company’s 109^th anniversary being the oldest mining company in the country.

What made the celebration doubly memorable, aside from being coincided with the birthday of the company president, Benjamin Philip Romualdez, was the commendation given to the 23members of the Company’s rescue team that led their counterparts in the successful rescue last week of small-scale miner Felipe Plimaco Jr., who was trapped under ground for a week in Bokod, Benguet. -- Dexter A. See