LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – As an investment to Asipulo’s future, Councilor Juan Piggangay wants to put up pedestrian underpasses at Asipulo National High School, Liwon Elementary School and Panubtuban Elementary School.
While much has been pointed out on the significance of an underpass in an urban area to upgrade passage of people, it may very well be a life-changing development today for upsized needs of rural folks of this Ifugao town.
“We’ve long considered this matter as a means of providing the public, most especially school children, a safe passing facility,” Piggangay said.
“Even as we expect further boost our government’s frontline services as a key mode of transforming people’s lives,” he added.
Having these structures at public schools is necessary to ensure the safety and convenience of young learners and their parents: it’s quite frustrating if they still insist on going back to their old ways. In spite of this modern-day structure, the general picture is one of undisciplined villagers simply crossing the street beneath an underpass. This makes some to think that the so-called “pasaway” (hard headedness) is part of the problem.
Essentially and eventually, there is a pressing need to educate town folks on the need for them to use an underpass.
These are only some of the obstacles to be hurdled by the proponent. The provincial government and municipal government are both lacking in resources for eyed projects. Thus, knocking at the doors of a Senate member is an option. The 2027 General Appropriations Act is a likely solution. That direction clearly points to where the proponent shall be focused.
Can these underpasses help young and old folks as well as foreign visitors move from one place to another? The answer is obviously in the affirmative.
Asipulo National High School has a significant number of senior high students. Other Asipulo senior high students are enrolled at Haliap National High School, Natcak National High School and Camandag National High School.
After completion, these eye-catching structures serve also as a spatial marker to welcome tourist, and symbolize the drive of the municipal government to modernize the town’s landscape. This is surely a major step for the development of Asipulo’s infrastructure to a better one.
Piggangay likewise does not see the need to wait for two or more decades to have an underpass in the town.
Legislation isn’t just crafting an ordinance, it’s an action, a pro-active process, something to be cultivated overtime. Indeed, to dedicated officials like Councilor Piggangay, powerless and voiceless villagers ought to seek for strength and wisdom.
“The health and safety of our people are our top priority. We are always eager to spearhead programs that would ensure their wellness,” Piggangay retorted in an exclusive interview with the ZigZag Weekly.
Life in Asipulo would have remained much the same as it was if well-meaning officials like Councilor Piggangay was not around. Now, it’s a different story. Thus, the government must continue to intensify its pro-people programs to ensure better quality of life.
Asipulo will soon be the home to these vital underpasses to increase mobility and decrease incidents. Piggangay’s loyalty to politics ended when the opportunity arose for him to act on people’s problems. “The basic needs of the people are very important to me”, he stressed.
For Councilor Piggangay, this project benefits each one, making it worth pursuing. For Asipulo, a fourth class municipality of ten farming villages, tomorrow is here! **By Anthony A.
Araos
