Three multi-million road improvement projects implemented under the Conditional Matching Grant for Provinces (CMGP) program and the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) was recently turned over to the provincial government of Kalinga.
The P99.48 million Cabaruan-Sucbot Provincial Road was turned over on September 4 in a ceremony led by Governor Jocel Baac, DILG-Cordillera Regional Director Marlo Iringan, and other local officials.
The two other improved provincial roads are the P73.99 million Cabaritan-Dugpa Provincial Road and the P32 million Allaguia-Asibanglan Provincial Road which were turned over on September 4 and 5, respectively.
The newly concreted roads are located in the municipality of Pinukpuk and benefit the residents of eight barangays, namely, Cabaruan, Sucbot, Dugpa, Cabaritan, Gobgob, Bayao, Pakawit, Asibanglan, and Allaguia.
In his speech during the turn over ceremony of Cabaruan-Sucbot Provincial Road at Sucbot Elementary School, Governor Baac stressed that having a good road network is vital for Kalinga’s progress and development.
“Nu agsisilpu tu dagituy, dakkel a pakitag-ayan ti biyag dagituy kakailyan tayo dituy probinsya ti Kalinga,” he said. (When our roads are connected, it will greatly improve the lives of the people in our province of Kalinga.)
Baac, who is serving his third and last term as Governor, sought the commitment of the next provincial officials to continue improving provincial roads.
“Dawatek met kadagituy sumarunu nga provincial officials nga itultuluy dan tu met daytoy. Diyay ti dawaten tayo nga ikari da tapnu at least agtultuluy daytoy nga progreso dituy probinsya tayo nga Kalinga,” Baac said. [I would like to ask the next provincial officials to continue improving our provincial roads so that progress in the province of Kalinga will also continue.”
The CMGP is a national government program aimed to repair and rehabilitate provincial roads and bridges. The PAMANA program, on the other hand, is the government’s flagship program for peace and development aimed to improve socio-economic conditions in areas affected by armed conflict.
The improvement of the Allaguia-Asibanglan Provincial Road is funded under the PAMANA program. Governor Baac during its turnover ceremony said that he expects the concreted road will help curb insurgency in the area.
“I remember what the army told me earlier: the insurgency begins where the road ends,” he said. “Bigbigek dyay, nga gapu dituy napipintas nga kalsada tayo, daytuy road network tayo, siguro ket bumassit tu metten ti insurgency.” (Now that we have better roads and a better road network, I expect that insurgency will decline.”
Also held on September 5 was the ground-breaking ceremony of the Upgrading/Improvement of Dalnacan-Mangali via Taloctoc Provincil Road project at Seet in the municipality of Tanudan. The project is implemented under the CMGP program and has a total project cost of P95, 186,623.00.
By Iryll Sicnao
