BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI-CAR) is eying the completion of some 644.44 kilometers of vital roads worth approximately P27.8 billion under the agency’s convergence program with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to boost the region’s economy in the coming years.
DTI-CAR regional director Juliet Lucas reported that of the programmed road projects under the DPWH-DTI’s road Leveraging Linkage of Industries and Trade (ROLL-IT), some 155.161 kilometers of roads worth P4.744 billion had already been completed from 2018 to 2023.
Further, she added that from 2022 to 2024, some 35.388 kilometers of roads worth P1.635 billion are currently being implemented by the government’s infrastructure arm as part of the aforesaid convergence initiative.
From 2025 onwards, Lucas claimed that there are still some 453.888 kilometers of roads worth P21.435 billion are still subject for the provision of funds and for implementation by the concerned government agencies for the realization of the convergence program geared towards linking the producers to the markets to avoid undue delays in the delivery of quality products to the consumers.
The DTI-CAR official said that of the total number proposed road projects under the ROLL-It, Mountain Province has the longest length of roads with 189.803 kilometers followed by Benguet with 181.710 kilometers, Apayao – 99.121 kilometers, Abra – 79.362 kilometers, Kalinga – 64.385 kilometers and Ifugao – 30.156 kilometers.
On the other hand, of the completed road projects, Apayao had the longest length of completed roads with 39.788 kilometers followed by Kalinga with 32.119 kilometers, Benguet – 30.951 kilometers, Mountain Province – 25.639 kilometers, Abra – 24.558 kilometers and Ifugao – 2.108 kilometers.
According to her, some 46 proposals for funding from the various local governments in the region were received which were either endorsed to the Regional Development Council (RDC) in the Cordillera and the DPWH and DTI central offices for consideration in the projects that will be funded for 2025 and beyond.
Kalinga submitted the greatest number of proposals with 21 followed by Mountain Province with 15, Apayao – 6, Abra – 3 and Ifugao – 1.
For the second batch of proposal, Ifugao submitted the most number with 13 while Abra had only 1.
Lucas explained that a major requirement in the submission of proposals for funding under the convergence program by the local governments is that the road being proposed to be improved , upgraded or rehabilitated should already be existing and will link the production areas to the markets.
However, she stipulated that consideration is also given for road opening projects but there should be justifications from the local government on the importance of the project in uplifting the sources of livelihood of the affected population in the rural communities to be traversed by the road that is being proposed to be opened. By Dexter A. See
