Officials push ‘Sabangan-Sagada road’ construction to promote tourism

Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- Opening a road from Sumaguing cave road  located here to Balili, Bontoc  would  enhance  tourism and promote the Balangagan Cave of southern Sagada.

The  Sangguniang  Bayan of  Sagada  and barangay officials bared this in  their  2011 resolution  requesting  the Department of Public  Works and Highways  Secretary Rogelio Singson  to extend the length  of the Dantay-Sagada  national road  to Sagada-Suyo-Balili road.

Sagada vice mayor Richard Yodong said the  Sagada-Balili  road  would  highlight Sagada’s  other attractions within  the infrastructure program of  the Department of Tourism’s  priority development roads  in partnership with DPWH. 

With this, an August 2012 joint resolution of  theSangguniang Bayan  here and barangay officials  of  Sagada reiterated  the May 2011 resolution in the light of  DPWH’s identifying  a Sabangan-Sagada road project not covering the Sagada-Balili route identified in the SB’s resolution.  

The  100 million  peso Sabangan-Sagada road is  included in the 2013  projects  covered under the DOT  funds  for priority  roads leading  towards tourist destinations,  DPWH regional director  EdilbertoCarabaccan  in an interview said.

Mountain Province –DPWH district engineer John Marquez said survey operations  are already  being undergone along the Sabangan-Sagada road passing through Sabangan-Madepdeppas-Data-Taccong-Suyo route.

 In an interview,  DOT regional director  Purificacion  Molintas said the  P100 million Sagada-Sabangan Road project refers to the  road which she has  inspected along the Sagada-Suyo-Balili road.  

She said she was not aware of any other Sabangan-Sagada road aside from the   Sagada-Suyo-Balili road leading towards  theSagada-Bontoc road near  Sabangan. 

Molintas  endorsed said Sagada-Balili road  following  Sagada SB’s  resolution.

Funding of the proposed 11 kilometer Sagada-Balili road has been earlier endorsed  by the  DOT in its priority tourism roads program,  following  visit  and inspection  of  said Sagada-Balili road by  Molintas   during the town’s Etag Festival February this year.

Molintas said proposed projects are finally validated by the  Tourism Coordinating  Council composed of  department of heads of   identified  line agencies of the government  including DPWH and  DOT.

With the  Sagada-Balili road,  the 13.5 kilometer Dantay-Sagada national road  ending along  the  road to Sumaguing  Cave shall extend  to Suyo  barangay  and on to Balili joining the  Bontoc-Baguio national road.

The opening of the road shall serve as an alternative road for visitors who visit Balangagan Cave to take this  route  from the Bontoc-Baguio national highway and don’t have to travel the Sagada-Dantay road.

The   road  network  towards  Balili  serves to  offer an alternative route to the only  Dantay- Sagada road  leading to  Sagada  and  Besao municipalities.