NATONIN, Mtn. Province – With much thanksgiving and appreciation, the officialdom and people of the three eastern municipalities of Barlig, Paracelis, and this town voiced out their elation over the expected benefits the opening of the Mountain Province Second District Engineering Office (MPSDEO) will bring for the development of the people and communities in the three municipalities.
The second engineering office in the province has been formally opened on November 21, 2016 here with Congressman Maximo Dalog, Regional Director Danilo Dequito of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region I but was just recently reassigned as regional director of the DPWH-CAR.
DPWH Secretary Mark Villar was a no show even as his name was indicated as Guest of Honor and Speaker in the occasion.
District Engineer Wilbur Likigan of the MP First District Engineering Office (MPFDEO) based in Bontoc who gave the backgrounder narrated that the establishment of the second district engineering office is the brainchild of Congressman Dalog.
Having jurisdiction over a total of 151 kilometers of Barlig-Natonin-Paracelis national road, the second engineering office will be full of widening and concreting projects in addition to school buildings and other infrastructure projects, Likigan said.
Cong. Dalog had filed House Bill 1869 in the 15th Congress, particularly on August 10, 2011 and became Republic Act 10379 approved on March 8, 2013.
He had lobbied for the implementation of the law but then Secretary Singson had not acted on it but Secretary Mark Villar issued in September this year Department Order 190 to operationalize the office.
The MPSDEO is located two (2) kilometres away from the Poblacion at Sitio Hakrang, barangay Banawel along the national road towards Paracelis. It sits on a more or less 1,600 square meters donated by the family of Juan For-og.
Regional Director Dequito, in his message, challenged the people of the eastern part of the province to work and make the presence of the MPSDEO in the area improve the lives of the people.
“We fully support the MPSDEO with the leadership and personnel of the regional office, even the DPWH led by Secretary Villar is with you”, he told the appreciative crowd.
Congressman Dalog, for his part, thanked Secretary Villar and Director Dequito for being instrumental in the approval of the operationalization of the office.
As the DPWH will continue to improve, widen and concrete the road links, he challenged the people to avoid instigating Road Right of Way (RROW) problems along the affected portions as he committed to work out for the completion of the entire road length from Barlig up to Paracelis.
The MPSDEO will be manned by detailed personnel from the MPFDEO based in Bontoc and DPWH regional office as officers-in-charge. Their regular status will be accorded in the coming years as the budget for the new office will be included in the General Appropriations Act of the agency starting 2017.
Three mayors from the western side, Mayor Abraham Akilit of Bauko, Mayor Johnson Bantog II of Besao, and MayorAnthony Wooden of Tadian were present to lend support to the establishment of the MPSDEO which to Cong. Dalog is a support for the development of the eastern part of the province.
Meanwhile, Congressman Dalog informed the people that Barlig to Kadaclan will be completely concreted this 2016, while the gap from Paracelis to Natonin will be completed in 2017.
“By 2018, the road length from Barlig to Natonin to Paracelis will be completed f there will be no RROW (roads right of way) problems”, Dalog stressed.**Roger Sacyaten
