Nearly P300-M fund sought for road concreting

NEARLY P300 million in funds is being sought to concrete a road traversing Lake Mahagnao in Burauen, Leyte, a national park declared 75 years ago but still not drawing significant number of tourists due to accessibility problem.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Leyte second district engineering office chief Margarita Junia said there is a need to concrete the 12-kilometer gravel road due to its potential in tourism development and support to food production in the community.

Under the convergence program on enhancing tourism access, the DPWH and the Department of Tourism (DOT) both agreed to request a P296-million budget from the National Government to concrete the road.

"The completion of the Burauen-Mahagnao Road will contribute to the socio-economic development of the area and will be easier for tourists and local visitors to witness the beauty of Mahagnao National Park," Junia said in a phone interview.

In a text message, DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa Tiopes confirmed that the project was endorsed earlier by regional officials from both agencies.

"For the next year alone, we are seeking for a release of P147 million out of the P296-million proposed budget. We are still waiting for a decision from the national technical working group," Tiopes said.

Mahagnao Volcano and National Park is an established national park since 1937. It is a dormant volcano with a huge crater turned lake. Barangay Mahagnao also hosts multiple hot springs, a sulfur mountain and waterfalls.

The park is about 16 kilometers away from the existing Burauen-Lapaz Road with four kilometers already paved and the remaining 12 kilometers gravel road needing more funds.

Fernando Duavis, construction section chief of the DPWH Leyte second district field office, said that since January this year, their office already implemented P19.46 million in concreting less than a kilometer road section leading to the tourism spot.

"We hope to complete the project by mid-August this year to somehow improve the present road condition," Duavis added. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)