Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Infra projects worth P100M welcomed
MANDAUE City Mayor Jonas Cortes is happy with the construction and improvement of roads and a bridge in his city, whoever gets the credit.
Cortes’ reaction came after Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz (Cebu, sixth district) recently announced the approval of five projects worth P100 million she earlier requested from Malacañang.
The P60-million bridge connecting Sitio Pilit in Cabancalan to Sitio Riverside in Canduman is one of the five projects. The remaining P40 million is spread evenly to the four other projects mostly road improvements in Mandaue City.
Last Aug. 3, Arroyo visited the “bottleneck area” and the site of the future bridge. That time Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north) briefed her on the Mandaue City roads’ importance in alleviating traffic in the Banilad-Talamban area in Cebu City.
Priority
After the visit, Arroyo prioritized the putting up of a bridge and improving the roads in these areas as she had the funds for these included in the 2008 annual budget.
The opening of the bridge will add more routes going to and coming from the place, thus decongesting traffic in the Banilad-Talamban stretch and H. Abellana St., leading to Sacred Heart School-Jesuit in Mandaue City.
Cortes said he is not grabbing any credit from anybody for getting Malacañang to fund these projects, as he just wanted to put things “in the proper perspective.”
“As long as the project pushes through,” he said in Cebuano. He added he is happy that he and Ruiz, who belong to opposing political camps, are working together to have the project implemented.
No names, please
Since it is the people’s money used in these projects, the mayor is discouraging any politician from putting up their names in every government project done “through their efforts.”
The four other projects are the construction of a drainage system and rehabilitation of several kilometers of road traversing Barangays Calderohan, Tabok, Tingub, Pagsabungan and Canduman; rehabilitation of Casili-Tawason-Canduman Road; rehabilitation of A.S. Fortuna St.; and widening and concreting of Canduman Road.
These bridge and road rehabilitation projects complement the 9.45-kilometer Cebu North Coastal Road, stretching from the Mandaue City coast to the towns of Liloan and Consolacion.
Arroyo mentioned this in her State of the Nation Address, including the Mandaue-Conso-lacion Bridge, which will connect the cities of Mandaue and Cebu to the future port of Bogo.
The President is expected to come up with the P2.31 billion by 2010 for the total project cost. (OCP)
