Mercado: Other side of Megadike and Mike Tapang

IT IS unlikely that lahar on flood water will ever make a destructive comeback through the Pasig-Portero river as it did after the Pinatubo eruption.

The twin dikes-commonly called East and West laterals have withstood strong rains and floods caused by storms and yearly typhoons.

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Pampanga towns affected by the Pinatubo devastation and the consequent floods have now recovered and are effectively protected by the Mega-dike.

The Dike is the single largest post-eruption infrastructure that secures the normally of life and progress of the communities in mid-Pampanga. The East lateral serves as an alternative expressway from Angeles-Porac area to the San Fernando-Bacolor junction thereby easing the volume of heavy traffic in the old MacArthur highway.

The West lateral side services the province's chief industry-sand quarrying. This enterprise is virtually the hen that lays the golden eggs for the provincial treasury. It is also the inexhaustible wellspring of economic activities that provide jobs and income opportunities for thousands of residents.

It is in this context that the National Government and the province of Pampanga should look into and seriously consider the proposal to use private resources to build a strong and well-constructed road out of the lateral dike in the concept of a toll way.

By reinventing the dike into an armored, cemented and stable roadway to accommodate hauler trucks to and fro the quarry sites, the billion-peso industry as well as agricultural activities will not only thrive but expand their production capacities, according to first term Porac councilor Mike Tapang.

"This will address the first concern of Governor Pineda for the preservation and rehabilitation of the lateral dike which has been breached, damaged, and weakened in many of its sections," Tapang stressed.

The provincial administration, while it is inclined to construct a parallel road for the truckers, may not find it compelling and urgent to spend some P100-million pesos for that purpose.

The P100-million pesos saved by the proposed tollway built by investors' money can be diverted to fund Nanay Baby's pressing socio-economic projects spread in 21 municipalities.

It appears that President Benigno Aquino III who telescoped Gloria Arroyo-sponsored projects in Pampanga during his Sona, may tighten the budgetary grip on fund releases for her unfinished projects.

Nanay Baby's projected P100-million intended for a parallel road at the West lateral side may be directed or aligned instead to the incomplete infra program now at a standstill for the reason sided.

Impressive is the foresight of president Mike Tapang of the Pampanga Quarry Operations group in drawing and formulating a project Proposal to let private investors rebuild and rehabilitate that lateral dike for use as Toll Road.

In September last year the former Chief Executive and now Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had instructed the proponent, DPWH-R-3, to consider the lateral dike's rehabilitation for the use by hundreds of haulers engaged in quarrying.

Rep. Arroyo should be happy to have her wish moving in the right direction with Tapang's pioneer advocacy to use private investment for the project.

Pampanga motorists welcomed and encouraged this Toll Road proposal. Certainly traffic-jam causing hauler truckers in their usual routes today will use that Toll way. This will result to traffic reduction volume along Porac-Angeles, San Fernando routes.

I hope DPWH Regional Director Alfred Tolentino, who seems to cower before a group of protestors against selective tree-cutting at the road-widening project in the Sindalan-Telebastagan area, will support this proposed Toll Road.

With the usual fund conduit to the province shut off by President Noy's austerity move, private capital for local development and infrastructure building should be encouraged, attracted, and endorsed for approval.

Governor Pineda who is a financial expert herself will find the proposed Toll Road worth considering.

Everybody is in a dire need of funds. Well, here is PQOA Pres. Tapang and the proponents who have the money and great motive for that project.

How about listening to the proponents, ladies and gentlemen of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan?