By DEXTER A. SEE
Amount allotted in next year’s national budget
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet —The national government has earmarked P223 million in next year’s P1.4-trillion national budget for the upgrading and rehabilitation of four secondary national roads in this vegetable-producing province.
This was reported here by Rep. Samuel M. Dangwa who said that the funds will be made available next year.
Out of the P223 million, P110 million will be used for the rehabilitation of the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun Road; P53 million for the improvement of the Gorel-Bokod-Kabayan-Abatan Road; P30 million for the upgrading of the Itogon-Dalupirip Road; and another P30 million for the rehabilitation of the Baguio-Mount Sto. Tomas Road.
Aside from the funds set aside from the budget, Benguet has also other road projects costing R673 million. These include the rehabilitation of the Abatan-Mankayan-Cervantes Road which is funded with a loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
Dangwa said he had lobbied for the allotment of the P223 million in the national budget even if some agencies opposed it because of the presence of the foreign-assisted projects in his district. He said this was not done in the case of other provinces.
If a congressional district has a foreign-assisted project, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) does not allow the allocation of additional funds for other national road projects.
However, Dangwa said that the policy is reportedly applied on a "selective basis" because it is not applied to all provinces or cities. He said he had worked hard for the allocation of the funds for the improvement of the "almost forgotten" secondary national roads in the province.
The completed foreign-assisted projects in Benguet include the P1.2-billion rehabilitation of the Marcos Highway, the P1.6-billion rehabilitation of the Benguet-Nueva Vizcaya Road, the P680-million upgrading of Naguilian Road, the P1.4-billion rehabilitation of Halsema Highway, particularly the stretch from this capital town to Mount Data, Bauko, Mountain Province with a length of at least 88 kilometers.
Dangwa said that Benguet needs more funds for the rehabilitation and upgrading of roads and bridges to help boost the agriculture industry. This is expected to result in lower expenses for transportation due to improved accessibility.
He said once farmers reduce their expenses due to improved transportation, the prices of highland vegetables would be lower. Consequently, locally produced vegetables can effectively compete with cheap imported vegetables, he added.
