BAGUIO CITY — In a bid to boost living conditions and the tourism industry, a total of 323 infrastructure projects in the Cordillera have, so far, been completed under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Engineer Nestor Nicolas, chief of the Construction Division of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cordillera, in a report provided the Philippine News Agency (PNA), said there are 27 road projects, with a length of 56.63 kilometers, completed from 2017 up to June 2018.
Meanwhile, five bridges were completed in 2017 with a length of 55.30 linear meters.
For bypass road projects or alternative roads used to declog the main roads, there were eight completed, with a length of 19.36 kilometers.
There were 62 completed flood control facilities from 2017 until June 2018, while 221 school buildings were completed last year.
Jennifer Juarez, DPWH-Cordillera information officer, said the two big ticket infrastructure projects in Cordillera under the national government’s “Build, Build, Build” program include the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) outer ring circumferential Road and the Apayao-Ilocos Norte road projects.
As soon as construction works of these roads are completed, the travel time in Apayao will be reduced to one and a half hour from the original five hours.
She said the DPWH is “developing the road network in order to improve connectivity within and outside the area” to the provinces, linking each other for accessibility.
The BLISTT road project, which is worth PHP4.8 billion, will have seven sections and a total length of 81.83 kilometers that seeks to significantly improve access between economic centers and farmlands of high value crops within Baguio City and other municipalities of Benguet province.
When completed, the travel time will be lessened by 50 to 60 percent.
The 64-kilomer Kabugao, Apayao – Solsona, Ilocos Norte road project, which was opened last July 11, seeks to effectively link Apayao Province, the northern part of the Cordillera, with Solsona, without the need to pass through Cagayan Valley.
“The development of these two big ticket projects will help boost socio-economic activities within Benguet and Apayao provinces, while improving connectivity throughout the region and with other regions,” she said.
“It will also spur economic growth for areas which will be traversed by the road and as such, will become a potential investment hubs,” she added.
The Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program seeks to sustain rapid growth, attract investments and attain economic inclusion for all Filipinos.
Improvements in far-flung areas
Some local officials of the different provinces here, in separate interviews, shared their insights on the massive infrastructure program and the ongoing projects in their localities.
“We are beneficiaries of (the) concreting and improvement of roads in Ifugao,” said Ifugao governor Pedro Mayam-o.
For his part, Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan said with several road and irrigation projects in place, the province is already stepping up.
“Actually, ngayon marami nang kalsada, flood control, irrigation. Yang ‘Build, Build, Build’ humahabol na ang Mt. Province pero sana we want more kasi kulang pa din, sana matapos ung mga projects kasi behind kami sa ‘Build, Build, Build’ program.
These will link the province to other provinces gaya ng Abra, to Ilocos Sur. May mga ongoing din na mga project galing sa pondo ng OPAPP (Right now there are a lot of road, food control and irrigation projects. With the ‘Build, Build, Build,’ Mt. Province is following suit. But we still want more, we are hoping for the completion of the projects because we’re already behind the program. These will link the province to other provinces like Abra to Ilocos Sur. There are also ongoing projects from the funds of OPAPP),” he said.
Apayao Vice Governor Remy Albano, on the other hand, said: “Magmula nang umupo si President Duterte, nakita niyo naman na ang daming improvement sa infrastructure sa Apayao, lalo na ‘yung sa pag-celebrate ng Cordillera Day (Since the start of President Duterte’s term, you can see the many improvements in infrastructure in Apayao especially during the celebration of the Cordillera Day).”
Abra Vice Governor Ronald Balao-as, meanwhile, expressed joy that infrastructure projects have “doubled” since the Chief Executive assumed office.
“If you compare it with the past administration na ang dumarating lang iilan lang ang project ng national government, ngayon double na (If you compare it with the past administration where there were only a few projects from the national government, now it has doubled),” he said.
For his part, Kalinga Vice Governor James Edduba said almost PHP1.2 billion went to the river control projects, and expressed hope that additional funds would also be provided for road construction.
“I hope they will look into that kasi marami pa kaming unpaved lalo na provincial roads (I hope they will look into that since we still have a lot of unpaved provincial roads),” he said.
The Bureau of Internal Revenue in the Cordillera had also earlier reported a high revenue collection, which it attributed to the increased withholding tax remittance of the DPWH from government contractors of infrastructure projects.
National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Cordillera Director Milagros Rimando on Saturday said the region sees a “positive sight” in the attainment of its targets.
She said the Cordillera has posted a 12.1 percent increase in its Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP), largely attributed to the industry sector, which includes construction and manufacturing.
Rimando said from an estimated PHP137 billion in 2016, the region posted a PHP153 billion GRDP in 2017. The growth is spurred by the industry sector, with numerous “Build, Build, Build” and other infrastructure projects brought to the region.
Industry sector accounted for half of the region’s total output at 52.1 percent, she said.
The Duterte administration had identified the “Build, Build, Build” program as among its top priorities, in a bid to spur progress to the rural areas, especially in far-flung communities, to allow easier transport of goods and services.
With roads opening and connecting provinces, municipalities and region, Rimando said the effect of the government’s infrastructure drive will be tremendous in terms of economy. **Pamela Mariz Geminiano/ PNA
