BORONGAN CITY-Eastern Samar, Philippines — Residents here, as well as Eastern Samar Representative Ben P. Evardone are hailing President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III for the immediate release by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) of P389 million to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the massive repair of the province’s roads network. Evardone said the release of funds is an “early Christmas gift” by President Aquino to the people of Eastern Samar as the damaged road network in the province needs immediate rehabilitation and repair as. “The roads in the province, which are in dire condition, has been a terrible inconvenience to the traveling public here,” stressed Evardone.
The Eastern Samar solon said President Aquino has ordered Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad for the release of P169 million for the repair of the road network to be undertaken by the DPWH Eastern Samar Engineering District based here, and P120 million to the DPWH regional office in Eastern Visayas based in Palo,Leyte for additional road repair work.
"We are very grateful for the release of P389 million from the DBM to DPWH to be used for major rehabilitation of our damaged road network. This will provide substantial relief to the people in Eastern Samar as they will no longer be using a road network that’s damaged and in tatters when they travel through the province once the roads repair projects are completed,” Evardone reiterated.
Evardone’s elation is understandable as said funds released by the DBM to the DPWH for the immediate rehabilitation of national roads in Eastern Samar are separate from those that will be coming from the US-run Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC) also for roads construction and other poverty-reduction projects in the province.
The MCC, last September, gave a $434 million grant to the Philippines, $214.4 million of which have been earmarked for Eastern Samar.
Evardone likewise expressed his appreciation for DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson for the latter’s visit to Eastern Samar last October 2, during which time Singson personally saw for himself how bad conditions were in the province’s road system.
Roads in such network which will undergo major rehabilitation by concrete paving and asphalting works are the Sulat-Taft road section and the Balangkayan-Hernani-MacArthur road section.
The road sections connect the national road from Samar province via Taft, Eastern Samar and on to the provincial capital, Borongan and the historic town of Guiuan. Evardone said the road projects can be immediately implemented before the year ends as these are now covered by a Special Release Allotment Order(SARO) from the DBM through Secretary Abad.
The road projects are expected to be completed within six months, Evardone said.
Nestor Abrematea, Manila Bulletin
