CATBALOGAN, Samar –
Tired of experiencing travel with the worst road the country ever had, Samarnons, led by Gugma han Samar Cyberspace Movement, will conduct a
caravan on October 17, this year, to make an appeal to President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to speed up the rehabilitation of the
Maharlika Highway.
Caravan organizers
said that for practical purposes, since the aim of the campaign is to
demand for better roads, the route will follow the badly damaged
national highway that covers the stretch from Calbiga town up to
Calbayog City.
The media reported
earlier that the 2nd phase of the
Maharlika Highway
rehabilitation will start anytime in the first quarter of 2006 but
this caused a lot of worries to most Samarnons since no such activity
takes place up to August.
Samar’s 2nd district
Congressman though assured the public over local radio station here
that the bid for the project has already been awarded and that
reconstruction will definitely start any moment now.
He even informed that
heavy equipment has already been transported to the province and this,
he said, is an indication that it will start shortly.
The organizers,
however, said that even if the rehabilitation of this portion starts,
they will still continue to rally the people to heighten their
awareness so that Samarnons will demand that the other road packages
will be implemented with transparency and with no political
intervention.
These road packages
include the Calbiga-Tizon (in San Jorge) stretch which covers 59.53
kms., Tizon-Calbayog City which covers 52.70 kms., Calbayog City to
Malaga (Calbayog’s northernmost barangay) which covers 36.76 kms. and
the Malaga to Allen stretch which covers 35.70 kms.
These projects cost
over P4 Billion, which the government loaned from the Japan Bank of
International Cooperation (JBIC).
This campaign will be
highlighted by petition signing, a copy of which will be sent to
President Arroyo. Caravan organizers expressed hopes this will prompt
the President to take immediate action.
