P7 billion used to develop Benguet road network

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The government shelled out over P7 billion over the past five years for the rehabilitation and upgrading of inter-provincial and inter-regional road networks that have started enhancing and increasing economic activities in the countryside.
Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, chairman of the House committee on public works, said bulk of the funds will be programmed for the rehabilitation of remaining unpaved national and secondary arterial roads in the province amounting to P2.8 billion next year while over P2 billion was used up for the upgrading of major road networks this year.
“We are grateful to President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III for being able to devise a program that guaranteed the concreting of all national roads and 80 percent of secondary arterial roads in the whole country before he steps down from power by the middle of next year. Benguet is one of the luckiest provinces because all its national and secondary arterial roads will be paved by next year,” Cosalan stressed.
Aside from the rehabilitation and upgrading of inter-provincial and inter-regional road networks, the lawmaker revealed part of the funds that were sourced out from the province were used for the put up of additional schoolbuildings, repair of irrigation and waterworks, hiring of additional teachers among other soft infrastructure project beneficial to the human development in the countryside.
According to him, farmers are the ones that have significantly benefitted from the rehabilitation of various road networks provincewide because they were able to save on the huge transportation cost of their agricultural crops from the farms to the markets and that there will also be less maintenance work for their vehicles.
Further, he added people from remote villages could now easily travel around the province and even go to neighboring tourist destinations because of paved roads that allow stress free and convenient travel for motorists and commuters.
Among the roads that were fully developed under the present administration include the Tawang-Lubas-Ambion road, Shilan-Beckel road, Baguio-Itogon-Dalupirip road, Bokod-Gorel-Kabayan-Buguias road, Buguias-Manhoyohoy-Tinco boundary road, Baguio-Asin-San Pascual-Aringay roadAcop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun-Sinipsip road and other major roads leading to potential tourist destinations in the different parts of the province.
He called on concerned government agencies to continuously maintain the newly paved roadlines so that they will continue to be open even during the onslaught of calamities or at least ensure that closed roads will be immediately opened to vehicular traffic for the benefit of motorists and commuters going in and out of the province daily.