Convex mirrors set in Bontoc road

By Roger Sacyaten

BONTOC, Mountain Province - The municipal local government unit has installed 12 Convex Mirrors in all critical curves of the Bontoc- Maligcong road for the safety of tourists and commuters.
    That was the essence of the project voiced out by Johanna Padaen, Head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, when ask about the objectives of the project.
    Sometime in last year, the safety devices were installed in critical blind curves especially in the dangerous sections within the jurisdictions of Barangays Caluttit and Bontoc Ili facing the town.
    The Convex Mirrors, with 30 inches in diameter, enable the drivers of vehicles to see the incoming vehicles on the opposite sides while still meters away. Thus, drivers may approach the curves cautiously.
    “Besides, through these devices, we will prevent untoward accidents from happening which our office is avoiding”, said Padaen.
    She further elaborated that initially three (3) Convex mirrors were installed but that they heeded requests from the residents of the barangay. There are now twelve (12) installed devices along the road.
    Jerome Chees, a jitney driver plying the route daily, said that the devices enhance the safeguards along the route to avoid accidents. He said that vehicles going up and down from the barangay find convenience that critical and accident-prone curves are with Convex Mirrors.
    A unit of the device was placed at the first critical curve of the road reportedly by the Mountain Province First District Engineering Office (MPFDEO) that is now standing without the mirror. End users condemn the unscrupulous individuals who broke the mirror.
    The Convex Mirror was placed at a critical section for a noble purpose but that was not considered by culprits, according to some observers.
    Meanwhile, the Maligcong Homestay Owners and Tour Guides Association are preparing for the installation of a Welcome Arch before the barangay as added facility to the tourist destination.
    Earlier last year, the same Association installed solar lights as street lights along the road from the turning point at Favuyan that frequently led tourists going up to Mount Kupapey in the dark wee hours of the morning.
    These are our small contributions to the betterment of Maligcong as a tourist destination as we also give back to the tourism industry we depend on, said David Rome Chumacog, the president of the Association.