ROAD improvements topped the concerns that local officials raised during President Arroyo’s visit here yesterday.
She ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to prepare immediately the program of works and estimates for the multi-million asphalting of the national roads connecting the towns of Aloguinsan and Barili, and the road connecting Asturias to Tuburan.
The four towns are in the third district, where the presence of insurgents is a problem.
Also yesterday, the vehicle carrying Arroyo and other government officials passed by the Banilad and Talamban areas in Cebu City and exited at the corner of Barangay Candu-man in Mandaue City, where heavy traffic is a major concern.
President Arroyo arrived in Cebu at noon and had a private lunch meeting with local officials at the Most Important Persons lounge near the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.
Before the meeting, she handed a P25-million check to Central Command Chief Cardozo Luna and was briefed about insurgency and security matters in Cebu.
Rep. Pablo John Garcia (Cebu, 3rd district) thanked the President for “immediately responding” to the need for road improvements in his district.
“People have been waiting for this for the longest time. I’m glad the President is responsive to our needs,” said Pablo John.
This is not the first time that work on the Asturias-Tuburan road was brought to the President’s attention. Problems with the 26-kilometer road were already raised during the time of former congressman Antonio Yapha.
In the previous terms, the Cebu Provincial Board even passed a resolution requesting President Arroyo to fund the P200-million road repair.
Board Member Victoria Corominas, who hails from Tuburan, was the first to express concern over the state of the road in 2004. She said the road has been neglected for decades.
In 2004, the DPWH estimated the road repair cost to reach P7 to P8 million per kilometer.
Congressman Garcia said the DPWH was instructed to look for an account where the road project allocation can be charged.
Aside from the Asturias-Tuburan road, President Arroyo also gave instructions to pave the 16-kilometer road from Aloguin-san to Barili towns.
In a talk with reporters yesterday, the President reiterated her plan to make Cebu a hub of tourism and “cyber-services.”
She said the government is on the right track with its implementation of projects such as the Consolacion-Mandaue bridge, which is seen to help promote tourism in northern Cebu, including Malapascua Island.
The bridge will also help make Cebu Mitsumi Corp. in Danao City “competitive” as it will bring down the cost of transporting their products and other cargoes.
As for the proposed declaration of an economic zone for the entire Cebu Province, Arroyo said she will leave it to Congress to decide on the matter.
The President also told reporters she will not intervene in the rift between Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Gov. Garcia, adding that the two officials are “mature enough.” (JPM)
