(BAYBAY CITY, Leyte) President Benigno S. Aquino III on Monday led the inauguration of the five-kilometer two-lane Baybay Diversion Road that will ease traffic congestion and will cut by half an hour the travel time to and from nearby cities.
The P374.63-million project, which began in February 2013, had a soft opening last January. Slope protection works are expected to be completed in August.
“Simpleng-simple lang po ang pangarap ko bilang inyong Pangulo — ang maipamana ang Pilipinas na di hamak na mas maganda kaysa ating dinatnan. Ngayon po, minabuti nating tumungo dito sa Baybay City, dahil alam natin, pruweba kayo sa nangyayaring pagbabago sa kalakhang bansa,” the President said in his speech delivered at the Baybay City Gymnasium before thousands of residents of Southern Leyte’s 5th district.
He explained that the Diversion Road, which starts at the junction of the Ormoc-Baybay-Southern Leyte Road in Barangay Candamdam and reaches the junction of Ormoc-Baybay-Southern Leyte Road in Barangay Hipusngo, eases the traffic congestion in Baybay City proper.
“Ang mga motorista kasing patungo ng mga lungsod ng Tacloban o Ormoc, pati ng Baybay City Port, di na kailangang dumaan sa lungsod, kung nasaan ang mga ahensya ng gobyerno at iba pang pribadong gusali,” he said.
President Aquino further said that the project has improved access from Maasin City to Tacloban and Ormoc, noting that the travel time between Maasin and Tacloban has been reduced from three-and-a-half hours to three hours, and between Maasin and Ormoc from two hours to one-and-a-half hours.
“Isa lamang ito sa mahabang listahan ng imprastruktura na tinutukan natin sa probinsya ng Leyte. Nariyan din ang Tabango-Catmon-La Fortuna-Manlawaan-Gimarco Road, at ang Junction Abuyog-Silago Road,” he said.
The President reported that Leyte’s budget for public works and transportation projects rose from more than P7 billion in the 2005-2010 period to P27 billion in the 2011-2016 period under the present administration.
These infrastructure projects include the Tabango-Catmon-La Fortuna-Manlawaan-Gimarco Road, Abuyog-Silago Road, Tacloban Port, Ormoc Port, Hilongos Port, Baybay Port, Javier Port, Carigara Port, and Babatngon Port.
Some P881.55 million has been allocated for farm-to-market roads from 2011 to 2016 and of the 218 projects that were funded from 2011 to 2015, 199 projects have been completed and are being used by 37,000 farmer households, he said.
On irrigation projects in the province, the President cited that his administration has allotted P2.73 billion from 2011 to the present, and a total of 166 projects have been completed, among them the Javier Communal Irrigation Project, Tabunok Communal Irrigation System, and the rehabilitation of the Tagbawto Communal Irrigation System.
The President further reported that the construction of 4,057 classrooms will be completed this year and that P243.38 million has been allocated to improve barangay health stations, rural health units, urban health centers, and hospitals in Leyte.
“Ilan lang po ang mga programang ito sa mga ginagawa natin sa Leyte. Sa nakalipas nga pong halos anim na taon, nakita natin, hindi lang ang pagbangon, kundi ang paghakbang pasulong ng inyong lalawigan,” he said, thanking the local governments and the people for their support.
“Ngayong nakabuwelo na tayo, at nagsisimula nang umusad, nasa harap na natin ang pagkakataong higit pang umarangkada. Sa pagtahak natin sa iisang direksyon, sa pagtutuloy ng ambagan at malasakit sa Daang Matuwid, tiwala akong wala nang makakapigil pa sa kolektibo nating pagkamit sa pinakamatatayog pa nating mithiin,” the President said.
Source: http://goo.gl/2Vh3do
