I should say it outright--it took the trio of DPWH Sec. Vince Dizon, Mayor Geld Aquino and NLEX President Luis Reñon to get the Atlu Bola Bypass Road completed. And soon opened, too.
Not to steal the thunder from former Mayor Cris Garbo who got that realised from the drawing board , meaning there is actually a road that was already built to connect NLEX Sta. Ines end to a city road in Barangay Atlu Bola.
But the completion of the bypass road got stalled for seven years. The 1.2-kilometer long road that was built remained useless since 2018.
We no longer need to point fingers as to who or what caused the delay. Suffice it to say that there were requirements of NLEX and the TRB that were not met. Plus of course, the Covid pandemic that put the world to a grinding halt few years ago.
Fast forward from 2018 to January 2026. Two weeks ago, Mayor Geld met with Sec. Vince at Porch Cafe inside Clark. He brought up the issue on the unfinished road project. A week after that, Mayor Geld met with Reñon, DPWH ASEC Suzanne Liwanag, Regional Director Arnold Ocampo, City Engineer Rod Deang and their technical people. And as the cliche have it —the rest is history.
A coffee talk was all that was needed to have the 90-meter concrete road that links the NLEX to the existing 1.2-kilometer road built seven years ago to be resumed and completed. That road connects to Moc Candelaria street which in turn leads to MacArthur Highway, according to City Planning Officer Rosan Pacquia whose office is also finding ways to have more connector roads.
There is also a need to have the curve or loop ramp adjusted a little. All told, this is just a P5-million project which funding has already been made available last year by the DPWH.
The project under the so-called “Convergence and Special Support Program:
Construction/Improvement of Access Roads Leading to Trades, Industries and Economic Zones (Roads Leveraging Linkages for Industry and Trade Infrastructure) undertaking of the DPWH and the surrounding LGUs
This was also bidded out already as compliance to procurement process of the government.
Thus, how profuse is Mayor Geld in thanking Sec. Vince and the DPWH, the NLEX especially President Reñon, the Toll Regulatory Board.
Aquino is also having the Dolores connector road approved soon. Something that CDC has a role to play in as it traverses the northern periphery of Clark Freeport. I wont be surprised if Mayor Geld gets this competed soon enough as it is another vital link that leads to Ayala Land’s Pampanga Technopark In Barangay Tabun.
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Sec. Vince did not mind going out of his way to personally inspect this project despite his back breaking schedule. He could have sent somebody else in his behalf especially given the fact that this is just a continuation.
But he realizes the significance of this road project to boosting local economies. One must remember that he once headed the BCDA and connectivity such as this one has been planned by his team that also included the current president Jake Bingcang and former CDC President Noel Manankil.
For good measure, Sec. Vince also called TRB Executive Director Jay Art Tugade to already approve the exit. The agency has the mandate to regulate tollroads including the establishment of entrances and exits.
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Completing key projects such as this road may have reminded him of his contributions to the improvement of Metro Clark communities as former head of BCDA. But what is of prime consideration to him now is that the continuation (read:completion) is in compliance of PBBM’s order to already continue and complete those projects that were started but got stalled along the way. Either because of insufficient funding or other circumstances.
In Pampanga, this includes the Sto Cristo overpass in Angeles City.
“Kalakbangan ne mu” (a step away) said Sec. Vince during his visit to Atlu Bola Bypass Road but that step completes the journey to convenience, livelihood and more economic benefits.