LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The municipal council granted authority to Mayor Romeo K. Salda to enter into an agreement with the administration of the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) relative to the temporary use of the dirt road within the BSU property at Central Balili as alternate route going to and from Pines Park, Lubas barangay.
Under Resolution No. 200-2021, the council authorized Mayor Salda to sign the aforesaid agreement and to extend the municipal government’s appreciation to BSU headed by its president Dr. Felipe S. Comila for the act of goodwill and liberality in allowing the use of the dirt road as a temporary alternate route for the affected residents in the barangays involved therein.
Earlier, Mayor Salda transmitted to the council a draft memorandum of agreement between the local government and BSU for the use of a dirt road at Central Balili adjacent to the BSU poultry project to sitio Tebteb, Balili as an alternate route going to and from Pines Park.
The body found that the use of the dirt road owned by BSU to be urgent and very important in view of the present state of the existing Pines Park bridge which at the very moment needs immediate rehabilitation and construction to strengthen it for the overall safety of the public.
Earlier, Benguet caretaker congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap facilitated the provision of some P80 million for the proposed rehabilitation and upgrading of the Pines Park bridge after this suffered heavy damages, including the scouring of its foundation, because of the various weather disturbances that visited the municipality over the past several years.
Mayor Salda and Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan expressed the sincerest gratitude of the people and officialdom of La Trinidad to Congressman Yap for prioritizing the provision of the funds to pursue the long overdue rehabilitation and upgrading of the bridge to guarantee the safety and convenience of the public using the said bridge in accessing the services from both the government and the private sectors.
Personnel of the local government and BSU conducted a joint inspection in the proposed alternate route and found out this feasible with the putting in place of appropriate interventions such as backfilling and gravelling so that the road can be elevated to the road level and could be traversed by motorists going to and from their residences in Lubas.
Municipal officials expressed hope that the use of the proposed alternate route by the residents will be extended for a longer period of time while the said Pines Park bridge is being rehabilitated and upgraded so that people will not encounter inconveniences in having to go around Baguio City and La Trinidad just to be able to reach their desired destinations in Lubas.
The local chief executive lauded the municipal council for their swift action in approving the resolution authorizing him to sign the aforesaid agreement so that there will be no undue interruption in the smooth flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic going in and out of barangay Lubas once the Pines Park bridge will be closed to allow the implementation of the rehabilitation and upgrading project. By HENT
