MANKAYAN, Benguet – The construction of several slope protections, widening, and concreting of a 540.6-meter stretch of the Mankayan-Balili provincial road in Mankayan, Benguet have been completed.
Governor Dr. Melchor Daguines Diclas said the P13.9-million project started in April 2022 and was reported completed last December 16.
According to Lanny Tongacan, a resident of barangay Tubo, the road was prone to vehicular accidents especially on curves due to its narrow lane. She also said vehicles had been struggling through the road because of its then poor condition.
Aside from retaining walls, widening, and concreting, the project included a construction of a drainage system and road safety structures according to the Provincial Engineering Office (PEO). The system is seen to help mitigate flooding in the area.
“Kasla karayan daytoy” (This looks like a river),” Letty Dela Cruz, a business woman in Tubo shared when asked to describe the road during rainy days. She would recall muddy water flowing down to their residence.
Further, Dennis Mayam-eg, Barangay Chairperson of Sapid, said it had been a hassle for the locals to transport goods and other local products through the narrow and bumpy road. This and several other concerns form part of the reason why this development has long been a priority for local government units.
Meanwhile, Governor Diclas expressed gratitude for the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for its continued support through the agency’s Conditional Matching Grant for Provinces (CMGP) program under which the Mankayan-Balili Provincial road improvement project was funded.
CMGP is a partnership program between DILG and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) which provides assistance to Provincial Local Government Units to help address needed infrastructure support, as well as reforms in local roads management (LRM) and public financial management (PFM).
The program complements one of the priority agenda of Governor Diclas which is improved road access for farmers and residents in remote communities. By SAP Jr.
