The region’s physical integration is seen to further improve with the continued allocation of funds for road projects by the national and local government units.
The Department of Public Works and Highways is looking forward to more improved access to more communities with the allocation of P4 billion for opening of municipal and barangay roads.
DPWH-Cordillera Construction, Planning, and Design Division Chief Angelita Mabitasan said most of the road opening funded by the P4B allocation for 2022 will be in Benguet.
Data on the areas where road opening projects will be implemented is yet to be secured.
The allocation of funds for road opening projects is seen to further enhance access and mobility and complement the already paved major trunklines connecting all the provinces in the region.
The major trunklines, accomplished under the Cordillera Roads Improvement Project (CRIP) championed by the Regional Development Council, are the Rosario-Pugo-Baguio, Baguio-Bauko-Bontoc, Bontoc-Lubuagan-Tabuk, Tabuk-Conner-Kabugao, and Kabugao-Calanasan-Claveria roads.
CRIP has been the region’s banner infrastructure project that pushed for the construction of roads to connect all the provinces in the Cordillera.
For the lateral roads or the roads that cross the major trunklines, Mabitasan said the DPWH has already paved 2,307 kilometers out of the 2,600 kms. total length of national roads in the region or a 96 percent accomplishment rate.
While projects are ongoing to complete the unpaved national roads, Mabitasan said implementation of ongoing local road projects will continue and will be facilitated with the implementation of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling that provided LGUs more funds to carry out local infrastructure projects.
She added more local roads are also converted into national roads, which means funds for rehabilitation and maintenance will be assured as these are allotted from the budget of the national government.
The DPWH has declared 27 local roads as national roads of which 15 are located in Abra, five in Kalinga, and seven in Mountain Province.
As head of the sectoral committee on infrastructure of the RDC, the DPWH pursues projects geared towards the attainment of development in the pursuit for regional autonomy. – Jane B. Cadalig
