TUBLAY, Benguet– Provincial and municipal officials recently inaugurated a new bridge project that is part of the outer ring of the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) circumferential road to help in spurring the development within the localities that will be traversed by the said project.
Mayor Armando Lauro said that the blessing and inauguration of the multi-million bridge project was attended by Benguet Caretaker Congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Go Yap and Gov. Melchor Diclas where both officials committed their unwavering and uncompromising support for the completion of the remaining projects to spur the development in the affected areas.
He disclosed that the project was funded under the outer ring of the BLISTT circumferential road project of the public works department that started in 2018 but the same was completed this year to help partially connect the Halsema Highway leading to the Naguilian Road passing through the said area.
Based on the data obtained from the public works department, the bridge located in Asin, Tuel, Tublay is around 45 lineal meters long and 6 meters in width to ensure the smooth flow of vehicular traffic once the roadline will be formally opened for public transportation.
For his part, Congressman Yap stipulated that the remaining funds for the completion of the projects along the outer ring of the BLISTT circumferential road had been already included in the annual budget of the public works department next year that is why there will be various projects that will be implemented along the said roadline to ensure its completion before his term as legislative caretaker ends in 2022.
He stated that he made sure that the earlier slashed budget for the said projects will be returned and subsequently increased to guarantee the completion of the programmed multi-year projects to contribute in the efforts of concerned government agencies to entice prospective investors to put up their businesses in strategic portions of the roadline for the benefit of residents living in the different communities that will be traversed by the proposed alternate road.
In 1995, European urban planners came to the city to conduct a study on the growth potentials of the proposed Metro Baguio where it discovered that there will come a time that there will be over development in Baguio City and in order to help decongest the city, development must also be spread in the neighboring towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan and Tuba then before Tublay was included in the later part of the planning stages.
Yap asserted that he wants Benguet to be developed into one of the most progressive provinces in the future that is why as the province’s legislative caretaker, he is doing his best to work out that concerned government agencies will provide the appropriate funding support for the identified high impact development projects that will help spur economic growth in the countryside.
He also emphasized that contractors who will be awarded projects to work on should ensure the quality of their works because people must benefit from the investments of the government. By HENT
