Villar opens 5.14-km highway in Bulacan

NEW ROAD. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar leads the opening of the Ciudad de Victoria Interchange and Overpass Bridge in Bulacan province recently. Also in the photo are ARD Denisse Maria Ayag; Philippine National Railway General Manager Junn Magno; Bocaue Mayor Jose Santiago Jr.; Bulacan Second District Representative Gavini 'Apol' Pancho; DPWH Regional Director Roseller Tolentino and DE Henry Alcantara. (Chris Navarro)
NEW ROAD. Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar leads the opening of the Ciudad de Victoria Interchange and Overpass Bridge in Bulacan province recently. Also in the photo are ARD Denisse Maria Ayag; Philippine National Railway General Manager Junn Magno; Bocaue Mayor Jose Santiago Jr.; Bulacan Second District Representative Gavini 'Apol' Pancho; DPWH Regional Director Roseller Tolentino and DE Henry Alcantara. (Chris Navarro)

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has created a long-term solution to the traffic woes in Bocaue, Bulacan through the opening of the Ciudad de Victoria Interchange and Bypass Road.

On Saturday, October 2, 2021, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar together with Bulacan Second District Representative Gavini “Apol” C. Pancho and Bocaue Mayor Jose Santiago Jr. led the inauguration of the 5.14-kilometer road project.

According to Villar, the Ciudad de Victoria Interchange and Bypass Road will serve as an alternate road to the Governor F. Halili Road or Bocaue-San Jose Road in Sta. Maria, which has been notorious for traffic gridlock.

"Malaki ang bawas sa travel time ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Bulacan dahil kung dati almost one hour ang byahe from Bocaue to Sta. Maria and vice versa, ngayon kaya ng makuha in 10 minutes," he relayed.

Villar likewise said the opening of Ciudad de Victoria North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) interchange has already eased the queuing of vehicles in the heavily congested NLEX Bocaue exit.

Aside from alleviating the traffic situation in the area, DPWH Central Luzon Director Roseller Tolentino said the new road is also expected to create a positive socio-economic impact in Bulacan due to the huge improvement in mobility and productivity that will bolster further economic activities throughout Bulacan.

“Little by little, we have improved the travel experience to rid our commuters of the hassle, facilitate the swift transfer of goods to the markets, and to stimulate the economic recovery after the onslaught of the pandemic,” Tolentino said.

Pancho, for his part, expressed gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte and the Villar-led DPWH for bringing progress in Bulacan through infrastructure projects.

"Under the 'Build, Build, Build' era alone, at least four NLEX interchanges and several more bypass and farm-to-market roads were opened in my district, and these projects surely create lasting effects on the lives of our people, and the economy of our province," he said.

Also present during the inauguration rites were DPWH Senior Undersecretary Rafael C. Yabut, Assistant Secretary Wilfredo S. Mallari, Philippine National Railways (PNR) General Manager Junn B. Magno, DPWH-Central Luzon Assistant Director Denise Maria M. Ayag, Director Tiburcio Canlas, DPWH Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara and District Engineers Ed Santos and Aristotle Ramos.

Stepping down

Meanwhile, Villar also took the chance to bid farewell to his colleagues in DPWH as he announced his nearing resignation as their chief.

He did not confirm yet if he will seek an electoral post in the coming May 2022 elections.

"Until October 8 pa naman ang filing, so I still have time. Maybe next week, ia-announce ang magiging desisyon ko," he said. "It was an honor to have served as DPWH, especially with the hereness of the 'Build, Build, Build' program, which I know is the biggest infrastructure program yet in the country."

Under the "Build, Build, Build," Villar said the number of infrastructures completed has tripled compared to that of the past administrations.

He also cited the millions of jobs generated under the said program that helped millions of families, especially during this pandemic.

"Aside from the many significant and big-impact projects we have completed, we are also very happy to have given jobs to at least 6.5-million Filipinos through this 'Build, Build, Build' program," he said.

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