TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Rep. Allen Jesse C. Mangaoang is now following up with the House Committee on Public Works and Highways his two pending bills seeking the conversion of two provincial roads in the province to national roads under the supervision, control and maintenance of the public works department.
One of the bills seeks to cover the Cagaluan provincial road in Pasil town into a national road while another bill seeks to declare and convert the Tabuk-Banaue road via Tanudan-Barlig road into a national road.
Under the proposed bills, the Public Works Secretary shall include in the agency’s programs the improvement, maintenance and repair of the said roads, the funding of which shall be included in the annual budget of the national government following the approval of the proposed laws.
Mangaoang claimed the Cagaluan provincial road is already paved and being utilized for faster mobility of people, goods and services to and from Tabuk City, municipalities of Pasil and Balbalan and Abra province.
He explained the conversion of the said road to a national road will ensure its continuity as a vital route to be properly maintained and improved by the national government under the public works department, thereby ensuring economic sustainability in the province.
On the other hand, Mangaoang disclosed that DPWH Department Order No. 60, series of 1997, failed to identify the towns, barangays, sitios and other agricultural areas and centers of production to be traversed by the Tabuk-Banaue via Tanudan-Barlig road.
“If roads are important vehicles of progress, it is equally important that roads must traverse populated areas for all stakeholders to benefit from them. By simply identifying the city of Tabuk, and the municipalities of Banaue, Tanudan and Barlig without delineating the particular centers of population upon which the road will traverse, the residents are at a loss as to whether or not they will benefit from said roads,” Mangaoang stressed.
Based on the bill, the Tabuk-Banaue via Tanudan-Barlig road shall start from Bulanao, Tabuk City, then move towards the Magabangon junction, barangay Cudal then towards Tanudan passing by barangays Mabaca, Taloctoc, Anggacan, Mangali, Bannagao Poblacion, barangay Lubo and Dacalan, all of Kalinga. From Dacalan, the road shall pass through the town of Barlig, Mountain Province by traversing barangay Latang, then to Ifugao province passing by barangay Pula, Cambulo and Kinakin to join the Banaue-Mayoyao road.
The lawmaker asserted the proposed conversion of the Tabuk-Banaue via Tanudan-Barlig road by specifically identifying its actual route thereby arises out of necessity.
The bill seeking the conversion of the Tabuk-Banaue via Tanudan-Barlig road is a re-filed bill which has reached second reading in the Senate in the 15th Congress but was not passed into law due to certain intervening events that prevailed during the said period.
The two bills will take effect 15 days after its approval and publication in the National Gazette.
Mangaoang’s proposed bills seeking the conversion of the provincial roads to national roads were referred to the concerned House committee for appropriate action before the same will be calendared for plenary debates.
By Hent