Roads set for construction to Mt Province tourist sites

Alfred Macalling

QUEZON CITY -- More tourism road projects in Mountain Province are expected to be funded as the special committee on north Luzon growth quadrangle of the House of Representatives here expressed support to approval of proposals to improve roads leading to tourism destinations and other infrastructure projects to boost tourism industry in the province.

The special committee, chaired by Mt Province Rep. Maximo Dalog, is composed of all congressmen from Regions 1, 2, and the Cordillera Administrative Region which oversees developments programs and concerns over the three regions.

During a meeting Dec. 3 at Batasang Pambansa Complex, representatives from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) led by lawyer Joy Balawitan, Nenita Jimenez from planning services of Department of Public Works and Highways central office, and regional directors of the Department of Tourism in regions 1 and 2 briefed members of the special committee on tourism programs and projects in the said regions.

Regional Director Pura Molintas of CAR was absent eliciting negative comments from congressmen.  Roger Sacyaten, supervising tourism operations officer of Mountain Province, who attended the committee meeting as one of resource persons through the invitation of the presiding officer, expressed gratitude for technical and financial assistance of the national government on implementation of tourism road projects in the province.

He expressed optimism that additional funding will be infused with the support of  congressmen to complete improvement of tourism road projects.

Some P340 million was allocated to finance road improvement projects for 2013 and this year, particularly the Sabangan-Sagada tourism road, the Abatan-Mabaay provincial road, and the Balili-Suyo, Sagada provincial road.

This year an additional P100 million was approved for the concreting of the Guinzadan-Cagubatan road leading to the Enchanted Eels, Gawaan Lake, and Mount Mogaootherwise  known as Mount Clitoris.

During the congressional committee meeting, funding for the continuation of the concreting from Cagubatan-Pandayan-Dacudac-Balili road was proposed to connect with the already approved MankayanBalili-Am am road in the Benguet side.

We respectfully ask this august body to cause the funding of the road project, especially with the help of Benguet Congressman Ronald Cosalan,” said Sacyaten. The presiding chair affirmed the request. Cosalan is Congress chair of infrastructure projects nationwide.

Representatives from the TIEZA and DPWH said there are still enough funds under the convergence program to fund various tourism projects in the three regions as validated by technical working groups (TWGs) composed of representatives from the DOT, the DPWH, and a nongovernment organization.

The tourism infrastructure projects will have to pass criteria to be approved. The criteria is that the project must have maps, existing road with no road right of way issues, must be within 60 km away from tourism service center, with concept study and consent of the stakeholders, and must be endorsed by the concerned Regional Development Council.

Congressmen want involvement of their offices in identification and validation of the tourism infrastructure projects. The membership of the offices of the congressmen in the TWGs was duly endorsed by resource persons present.

Rep. Dalog has proposed the following road projects under the convergence program for  2016: Continuation of the concreting of the Cagubatan-Balili, Mankayan road, Sagada-Besao-Panbungen-Quirino, Ilocos Sur Road, the Bontoc-Mainit-Maligcong Road, and the Poblacion Paracelis-Bantay-Mabarotbot-Buringal-Bacarri-Tabuk,Kalinga road.

The various tourism projects in Sagada which were funded but until now not implemented have been the subject of an inquiry from Mayor Eduardo Latawan and was conveyed by Dalog to the TIEZA representatives who committed to follow up said projects.

“Accordingly, P15 million was allotted for various tourism projects in Sagada in the past but until now, the mayor is still wondering why the project is not yet being implemented”, Dalog told TIEZA representatives.