FOR centuries now, residents of at least six villages in the left bank portion of the Pampanga River in Masantol town have relied on boats to cross the river and quickly access and transport goods and products to and from the town proper.
On some occasions, locals would opt to traverse the Pampanga Delta Development Project dike via cars or motorcycles that would take an exit at Calumpit town in Bulacan, which is about 20 kilometers away from the Metro Plaza here.
The inconvenient and time-consuming travel of residents would soon be eased, as the Department of Public Works and Highways, together with the local government here, is set to construct a bridge that would directly connect the said villages to the right bank portion of this town.
Fourth District Rep. Juan Pablo “Rimpy” Bondoc, who worked for the funding of the project, said the construction of the infrastructure dubbed as Pampanga Delta Bridge would commence by the third quarter of this year.
Bondoc said the soon-to-rise infrastructure has a total funding of P578,197,447 that would be finished by 2023 or about four years.
“This is a very significant project that we have been working on together with Mayor Danilo Guintu because this would link both sides of Pampanga River which has been divided for so long,” he added.
Aside from providing access to residents, Bondoc said the infrastructure project will also be consequential in the construction of the North Coastal Road that would create direct access from Manila to Bataan.
“From Manila, the North Coastal Road will take you right to Manila Bay going straight to Bulacan then Pampanga up to Bataan, and the Pampanga Delta will be a major component of the project,” he said.
Guintu, for his part, said the pending construction of the bridge is a dream come true to Masantoleños, especially to residents in the barangays Alauli, Bagang, Sagrada, Balibago, Nigui, and Sapang Kawayan.
“For the longest time, our six barangays are almost isolated from the town proper and have almost belonged to Bulacan province since their only concrete access is linked to Bulacan towns. But with the construction of Pampanga Delta Bridge, we can now be literally one as a municipality,” he said.
Once constructed, Guintu said the bridge will also help spur development for Masantol and the whole of Pampanga as it is expected to source out businesses and income from as far as Bulacan.
Moreover, Bondoc said residents in the said six villages can have access to health care as well as educational institutions, which were once the great dilemmas of the community.