MANKAYAN, Benguet – The municipal government will aggressively pursue the implementation of nationally- and locally-funded infrastructure projects after the completion of the bidding process to allow the generation of jobs, increase economic activities and other sources of livelihood, and to safely revive the economy that was heavily impacted by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic.
Mayor Frenzel A. Ayong reported that appropriate coordination has been done by municipal officials with the government agencies that provided funds for the implementation of development projects in the different parts of the municipality for the smooth prosecution of the projects to provide start up economic activities for the affected residents who were confined in their homes and their farms over the past nine months of the implementation of the community quarantine guidelines.
He added that for as long as the situation will permit, there will be works undertaken in most of the funded and bidded projects but with strict adherence to the prevailing health and safety protocols among the workers and the public to prevent the possible surge in the number of COVID cases that might cause the enforcement of much stricter quarantine rules which in turn, will affect the gains from the various levels of community quarantine over the past several months.
Among the major development projects that are expected to be implemented in various parts of the municipality this year include the construction, rehabilitation, upgrading and improvement of farm to market roads; construction and upgrading of a number of barangay halls; put up of multipurpose gymnasiums; concreting of some road networks; and other development projects that were previously identified by the concerned government agencies.
The municipal chief executive claimed that the resumption of the implementation of major infrastructure projects in the municipality will greatly contribute in providing jobs for the heavily impacted and displaced workers.
He admitted that many of the residents have been heavily impacted by the implementation of the various levels of community quarantine over the past nine months but they were able to mitigate the effects of the same through their resilience by venturing into various forms of livelihood, like vegetable production, among others, that kept them productive throughout the quarantine period.
Mayor Ayong pointed out that for as long as there will be no incidents that will cause the sudden surge in cases in the municipality, there will likely be a semblance of possible slow and safe revival of the economic activities and livelihoods.
However, he reiterated the need for the public to continue adhering to the prescribed health and safety protocols to prevent them from contracting the deadly virus and eventually transmitting the same that impact on the improved recovery status of the municipality.
By HENT
