TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte
– The perennial road problems in Region 8 will soon be things of the
past, Department of Public Works and Highways Regional Office 8
Assistant Regional Director Romualdo Baltazar informed the media
during the Harampang Ha PIA held Friday.
The Calbayog-Catanguit
Road Project will commence soon, ARD Baltazar informed. He said that
as announced by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she visited
Calbayog on October 16, the Notice to Proceed for the said project was
served on October 17.
The usual procedure is
that the work will commence ten days after the receipt of the Notice
to Proceed. If the contractor
China Road
and Bridge Corporation received it on the 17th, this means that the
work will start very soon, Director Baltazar said.
The Calbayog to
Catanguit Road project which costs P806 million and is part of the
25th Yen Loan Package, will be supervised by the Central Office,
Director Baltazar said.
The 25th Yen Loan
Package is composed of five projects. Included is the
Catanguit-Calbiga road repair and rehabilitation project which amounts
to P942 Million. ARD Baltazar revealed that the Notice to Proceed for
this project has been served but the Regional Office has not received
a copy of the Notice. He said that the contractor for this project is
B.C. de Luna.
The bidding for the
other part of the project, the Allen-Malaga road project has been
done, Director Baltazar bared. The Malaga to Calbayog part has not
yet been bidded, he added.
The Allen-Malaga
project costs P524 million while the Malaga-Calbayog Project costs
P541 Million, Director Baltazar informed.
These four components
of the Package will solve the perennial problem of the commuters
plying the Samar and Northern Samar route.
The fifth component of
the 25th Yen Loan Package is the Agas-agas viaduct which costs P500
Million. This project will put to rest the recurring problem in the
landslide prone area in Southern Leyte, Director Baltazar added.
Director Baltazar
added that the Calbayog-Catarman Road project which is under the 24th
Yen Loan Package is more than 80 percent complete. This will reduce
the travel time by more than one hour, he informed.
Another good news is
that the Himay-an-Silago road project under the 23rd Yen Loan Package
is also about to be completed. This will also cut the travel time for
about two hours.
