DPWH project contrary to intent of DOT fund: Sagada officials protest bidding of P100M road

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province – Officials and local folks here protested the reported move of the regional Department of Public Works and Highways to bid out construction of a road which they said, would not serve the purpose of a P100 million fund to boost tourism in this rustic town.   

Earlier resolutions of  Sagada’s  SB protested  DPWH-Cordillera’s identification of  the Madepdeppas  route which is not the  SB’s proposed road in their earliest resolution requesting  DPWH Sec. Rogelio Singson to extend the length of the Dantay-Sagada national road to Sagada-Suyo-Balili road.

Besides, there is no tourist attraction along the  Sabangan-Sagada via Madepdeppas road,  a validation team found out.

The team was composed of personnel from the Department of Tourism, DPWH  and  National Economic  Development Authority who  recommended inclusion of the 8.5 kmBalili-(Suyo) Sagada Road in the DOT-DPWH project.

The validation findings were forwarded by DOT regional director  Purificacion Molintas to DPWH regional director Edilberto Carabacan.

Inspection of the P100 million controversial Sabangan-Sagada road project on Nov. 21 noted the Balili route would open tourism activities like alternative caving, mountain biking, trekking, bird watching, star-gazingand cloud catching.

Molintas said the strong recommendation of the validation team was that the Sabangan-Sagada road should start construction from the end of the national road at the Sumaguing Cave section in Sagada to serve as primary access to the Balangagan Marcos Cave at Barangay Taccong and other tourist spots in Barangay Suyo, Sagada.

The road upgrading project is funded by the Department of Tourism’s prime tourist destination infrastructure roads program.

 Early this year, Molintas inspected and endorsed said Sabangan-Sagada via Balili  road as per criteria of the tourism road infrastructure project prioritization criteria (TRIPPC) set by the DOT-DPWH convergence program and eventually included in the General Appropriations Act for 2013.

Sagada officials noted The DPWH-DOT convergence program is apparently not keen on the part of Carabaccan who insisted on the Madepdeppas route now reportedly opened for bidding.

The Madepdeppas route starts from the provincial road  atSabangan junction then ascends to Medepdepas  to the Bangnin junction ending  above barangay Taccong, Sagada passing through a single  lane concrete pavement and a gravel and dirt road. Between barangay Suyo and Taccong is the Inakang  River.

To cap it all, the Madepdeppas route does not have any tourist attraction as noted by the validation team assisted by staff from the Provincial tourism and engineering offices.

The inspection team found the need for a road opening and a bridge across the Inakang River to reach Barangay Suyo which further joins the road leading to the famous Sumaguing Cave.  

The Sangguniang Bayan of Sagada chaired by Sagada Vice Mayor Richard Yodong  recently asked DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson to suspend  bidding of the said Sabangan-Sagada via Madepdeppas  road pending unresolved issues of said controversial road project. 

Said legislative body further requested that program of works with detailed estimates and implementation of the road works commence at the center of the town of Sagada to address the perennial traffic congestion problems caused by the influx of tourists during peak seasons.

The Sangguniang Bayan of Bontoc in their support to the  Sagada SB resolution forwarded in their  resolution that the Balili route  serves the  Kaman Otek-Ibao lake tourist spot located  at Balili, Bontoc further stating that the "irregular Sabangan-Sagada via  Madepdeppas road is apparently a divertionary effort to  divert and derail tourism development goals”.