Samar to get share of RDCs Medium -Term Investment Program

BY NINFA B. QUIRANTE (PIA Samar)
September 22, 2006

CATBALOGAN, Samar   – The province of Samar gets to share projects and programs amounting to more or less P9 billion as the Regional Development Council (RDC) in its special meeting yesterday with Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo presented its Medium-Term Investment Program.

The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA 8) Chief Buenaventura Go-Soco presented the program to more than a hundred RDC participants and observers at the Kanhuraw Convention Center in Tacloban City.

For one, Samar Island Tourism Road project will cost some P528 million. Another P450 million though shared with Eastern Samar major road networks may pave the way to the repair of badly damaged Buray-Taft Road and on to Borongan and Guiuan.

The long-awaited rehabilitation of Allen-Calbiga road section also amounted to a whooping P3.4 billion with another P1.3 billion earmarked for various Samar Local Road Projects.

As for Biodiversity Conservation/Coastal Marine Resources Management, some P3 million was also allocated. This includes development of oysters and mussels (Samar’s Provincial One-Town-One-Product OTOP) and the development of Sea-weed ecozones with P172 million.

As for water supply, which is also a top priority project of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo; some P288 million is also set aside for the Provincial Water Supply, Sewerage and Sanitation System.

An irrigation project in Sta.Rita-Basey-Calbiga is also reported to cost some P2 billion while a communal irrigation project will also cost some P388 million.

As for the Hydropower project in Bugtong Calbayog City; P 194 million is set aside for this, while the Power Transmission project from Wright to Calbayog (138 KV) transmission lines is said to also cost P865 million.

To support the transmission lines in the Wright-Taft direction, a Sta. Rita-Basey-Marabut-Gen. MacArthur 69 KV transmission line will be developed amounting to some P74 million.