LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Residents living along the stretch of the Longlong-Balite-Tam-awan Road opposed the proposed conversion of the said roadline from its current barangay road status to national road considering its serious repercussions to their existing structures in the future.
Boardmember Nestor Fongwan, Jr. said that the Provincial Board conducted the required consultations with the concerned residents living along the roadline to solicit their inputs on a pending legislation in the provincial board requesting the conversion of the Longlong-Balite-Tam-awan Road to a national road to ensure proper maintenance work with the provision of funds annually for its upkeep.
“We will respect the collective decision of the residents who expressed their opposition to the proposed conversion of the barangay road to a national road because they are the ones who know best what will be beneficial to them. What is important is we have shown our concern for them by looking for ways on how to improve the condition of the road leading to their place,” Boardmember Fongwan stressed.
Fongwan learned that the road is still classified as a barangay road that it is why it is poorly maintained although it benefited from the previous improvement that had been initiated during the time of former President Fidel V. Ramos where the Pico-Lamtang Road and the Tam-awan-Longlong road were improved as alternate roads going in and out of the municipality.
However, he claimed that the Provincial Board will try to study the possibility of converting the Long-long-Balite-Tam-awan Road to either a provincial or municipal road so that funds could be appropriated for its continuous improvement and maintenance.
According to him, the decision on what will be done with the status of the roadline will depend on the consensus of the residents that is why the provincial and municipal governments will await the collective action of the residents that will be embodied in a resolution of the barangay on what should be done with the road to sustain its development.
He stated that whatever will be the decision of the residents will still be subject to another round of consultations with them to affirm whatever will be their consensus on what will be the appropriate status of the road to ensure the implementation of improvements and its maintenance so that its current situation will not further deteriorate.
The boardmember asserted that what is important is the road should be properly maintained for the benefit of residents and motorists alike but the meager funds of the barangay cannot actually cover the fund requirements for its improvement and maintenance, thus, local officials are trying their best to find ways on how to sustain the improvement of the road without having a serious negative impact o the people living in the communities traversed by the barangay road.
Under existing laws, rules and regulations, Congress is empowered to convert local roads to national roads where improvements and maintenance works will be under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) while local Sanggunians are authorized to classify the roads that are within their areas of jurisdiction to allow the appropriation of local funds for the upgrading and maintenance of roads within their areas of jurisdiction.
By Hent
