Road widening is road tightening?

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March Fianza

Dropping by Luisa’s Café once in a pale moon is not boring especially when one encounters Chong Loi, the Chinese Philosopher of Session Road in whose “analyzation” of politics and everything comes even faster than the hot siopaw and mami is served.

My latest encounter with him was during the wake of Ms. MagdalenYapoCimatu, 92; the mother of newsmen-artists Domci and Frank. The Cimatu Family are old time neighbors at New Lucban where most of the siblings attended Magsaysay Elementary School. My sisters and brother and I attended the same public school. Our condolences are with them as they bid farewell to their loving mom, till they meet again. For Domci, Frank and siblings, I am certain that life goes on. 

Chongloi or Roland Wong for long, talked about the scraping of the Dontogan Road below Santo Tomas where he built his country house. His story that also served as a complaint is widespread that is why I find it worth writing about. In his “analyzation” he said, except for the fact that Dontogan Road will be paved with cement, rehabilitation will not make any difference in terms of width as the project implementors are not widening the road on both sides. 

“Imbis nga lumawa, umirut met,” Chongloi quipped. They are merely moving the road to one side to the benefit of houses that encroached on the road-right-of-way. That is the same case in other so-called road widening projects. But government, except for spending peoples’ money to keep the economy strong, never learn. That is why it cannot correct the wrong that it commits.

***

Who are the advocates who keep repeating that regional autonomy is the only way for the Cordillera hinterlands to develop? In contrast to that advocacy, tourism and economy in and around four northern Benguet towns, namely; Tublay, Kapangan, Kibungan and Bakun will soon rise with the release of some P560 M for the rehabilitation of the road linking these towns this year. A whopping P1 Billion meanwhile is expected to be released next year to finish the road project. 

Benguet Congressman Ronald M. Cosalan who was instrumental in the release of the much needed infrastructure fund said, this translates to an improvement of life standards of resident farmers in and around the four towns, and practically the northern part of Benguet. 

Relatively, moves in congress to honor two Benguet political elders because of remarkable services rendered to the province during their lifetime, are expected to end with the renaming of the Gurel-Bokod-Kabayan-Abatan Secondary National Road to Congressman Andres A. Cosalan Highway. For the western side of Benguet, the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun-Sinipsip Secondary National Road will be renamed to Governor BadoDangwa Highway. 

Moves to rename the two secondary road arteries were proposed by Kabayan municipal officials and were duly sponsored in congress by the Cordillera congressmen who were likewise familiar with the distinct services that the two political leaders delivered to Benguet and the undivided old Mountain Province in their private capacities and as government officials.