P6.4 billion released to pave Cordillera roads

LUNA, Apayao – At least P6.4 billion was released by the Department of Budget and Management to Department of Public Works and Highways to improve national and secondary national  roads in Cordillera this year to achieve commitment of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III to have all national roads and 80 percent of secondary national arterial roads concreted by the middle of 2016.

Engineer Edilberto P. Carabbacan, DPWH regional director, said Apayao received the biggest chunk of the funds at a little over P1.4 billion, followed by Ifugao with P1.3 billion, then Kalinga at P1.2 billion, Benguet with P1.1 billion, Mountain Province with P600, Abra with P4 million and Baguio with only P380 million.

“At the end of 2013, approximately 55 percent of the region’s nearly 2,000 kilometers of national roads were already concreted because of the P6.6 billion funds released by the national government for numerous infrastructure projects,”Carabbacan said.

Because of the earlier bidding of the programmed projects, the DPWH official said that most of the programmed projects were completed before the rainy season, thus, increased access to the remote communities in the region have been existent.

By the end of this year, Carabbacan explained approximately 80 percent of the region’s national and secondary national arterial roads will be concreted thereby helping spur economic growth in the interior parts of the region.

He said stringent rules are being enforced in the bidding of the different infrastructure projects to make sure that contractors who are financially and technically capable of prosecuting projects in mountainous areas will be the ones who will be awarded the multi-billion contractors for the sake of quality work beneficial to the motoring and commuting public.

Before the Aquino administration embarked on a 4-year infrastructure development program in 2012, around 40 percent of the national and secondary national arterial roads in the region were concreted, thus, people in the remote communities of Benguet, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Abra and Apayao were deprived of the benefits of development.

Carabbacan revealed the substantial improvement of major road networks in the region will translate to economic growth because of increased investment opportunities, increased employment for local residents and increased income for concerned local governments.

He added the agency and project implementers are trying their best to comply with the marching orders of Public Secretary Rogelio Singson to make all national and secondary national arterial roads comply with international standards for the benefit of the motorists.

According to Carabbacan, the implemented and soon to be implemented road projects were designed to ensure that the stat of the environment will be protected and preserved in order to enhance the growth of the ecotourism industry of the region which is seen to be instrumental in spurring the economic growth of the remote communities. -- Dexter A. See