DPWH: Autonomy can help fast track the concreting of roads in Cordillera

By Carlito C. Dar

Monday 2nd of April 2012

BAGUIO CITY, Apr. 2 (PIA) -- Achieving regional autonomy status would help fast track the concreting of Cordillera’s arterial and secondary roads.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cordillera Regional Director Edilberto Carabaccan stated this during the Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) Advisory Committee here last week presided by RDC Chair and Kalinga Governor Josel Baac.

According to Carabbacan under the proposed autonomy bill, a percentage of the subsidy that the national government will be providing the region’s autonomous government will be allotted for infrastructure, on top of the regular DPWH fund which would really help a lot in the concreting all Cordillera roads.

Under House Bill 5595, or an Act creating the Cordillera Autonomous Region filed in the House of Representatives, 20 percent of the proposed P10 Billion subsidy, or about P2 Billion will be allotted for infrastructure development projects.

Carrabaccan also reported to the AdCom that at present, around 64.42 percent of the 1,955.82 kilometer total roads of the region are already paved. For the 812,417 km. total arterial or primary roads in the region, around 645.41 km or about 79.44 percent are already paved, while for the 1,143.40 km secondary roads, about 53.75 percent or 614.53 have been paved.

Abra has the highest average percentage in terms of paved arterial and secondary roads with 83.07, followed by Benguet with 82.03 percent, Mt. Province at 63.05, Ifugao-58.53, Kalinga-51.89 and Apayao with 32.42 percent.

Meantime, Carabbacan also stressed that the national government, through the DPWH and under the directive of President Benigno Aquino III, is now also working hard to achieve its goal of having all arterial roads in the country paved by 2014 and all secondary roads by 2016. (JDP/CCD/PIA CAR)