The Cordillera is getting a P20.612 billion for infrastructure projects this year, an official of the Department of Public Works and Highways said.
Engr. Clifton Valencerina, chief of the Construction Division of the Department of Public Works and Highways-Cordillera, said the asset preservation, which includes road reblocking, preventive maintenance, slope protection, and overlay of roads to extend their life span and prevent damage, got the biggest chunk from the region’s infrastructure budget with P8.121B.
Local projects or projects by the different local government units in the region that are funded and supported by the national government have been allotted P4.977B.
Flood management projects were allotted P2.817B while convergence projects with the Department of Tourism providing roads to tourist destinations were allotted P2.176B.
The big-ticket projects of the region under the “Build, Build, Build” include the continuation of the BLISTT (Baguio-La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba, and Tublay) network project linking the area and the Apayao-Ilocos Norte Road, got P1.7B.
Bridge projects for the year were allotted P709.4 million.
Excluding different bridge projects in the provinces, Abra has the biggest allocation at P4.346B and Benguet with P3.075B.
Apayao was allotted P2.227B; Ifugao, P1.709B; Baguio City, P1.289B; and Mountain Province, P1.745B.
The Upper and Lower Kalinga District Engineering offices have a combined budget of P2.826B.
Out of the 2,257.917 kilometers of national roads in the Cordillera, only 132.52 kilometers have yet to be paved by asphalt or concrete.
DPWH-Cordillera Director Tiburcio Canlas earlier said that as of October 2019, road network in the region is 94 percent paved or an equivalent of 2,125.39 kilometers.
Citing DPWH records, Canlas said the “Build, Build, Build” program has created over 6,000 jobs in the region in 2019.
Cabinet Officer for Regional Development and Security for Cordillera and Agriculture Secretary William Dar earlier said conflict-affected areas and the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas will be prioritized in the 2020 programs and projects, aimed at addressing the insurgency affecting poor communities. – PNA release
April 16, 2024
