Four JP baranggays get P80m for road projects

A moonlike surface of a 2.5km asphalt road recently built by the CamNorte provincial government at baranggay San Rafael in Jose Panganiban. Below: The asphalt coating has been washed away to show poor-quality aggregates used to build the road. The project, which costs about P10 million per kilometer, has deteriorated over the past few weeks after a few days of rain. – Photo supplied by the residents of Baranggay San Rafael, JPanganiban



By ALFREDO P HERNANDEZ


THE municipality of Jose Panganiban has been granted a total of P80 million to fund some road projects.


The money comes from the Agrarian Reform Community Project (ARCP), which seeks to build farm-to-market roads throughout the country.


The JP-LGU said the P80 million has been apportioned to the far-flung baranggays of San Martin, San Pedro, San Rafael and Tamisan, with each getting P20 million.


The LGU has requested the amount last year to augment its funding for its ongoing road cementing program across the municipality.


The  office of the mayor said it was hoping to directly access the funds because with P80 million, it would be able to build about 16kms of road of 4.5m wide, at a cost of only P5 million per kilometer as against the standard price of P10 million per kilometer of only 4m wide when built by the provincial government.


Meaning, each of the beneficiary-baranggays would get at least 4km of cemented roads hoped to speed up mobility in the said areas.


Mayor Ricarte Padilla told MWBuzz that his administration has shown that a kilometer of cemented road at 4.5m wide is possible to build at a cost of only P5 million.


However, he is worried over ARCP’s funding because there is a big chance that it would be coursed through the provincial government owing to the amount.


It was explained that government funding assistance of P10 million and above is usually parked with the provincial government before it is finally channeled to the recipient municipality.


A source at the office of the mayor told MWBuzz that it is most likely that when the money is finally released, it will be the provincial government and the department of Public Works and Highway which would carry out the project at the “standard” contracted price of P10 million per kilometer.


He feared that there are also chances that the P10 million budget for a kilometer of cemented road would only build a shorter road instead of the contracted 1km, as had been experienced in the past with provincial government-sponsored roads.


One on-going farm-to-market road in baranggay San Rafael has stirred up a scandal after the supposed 2.5km project of provincial governor Edgardo A Tallado began to crumble after only a few days of rain.


The asphalt road project, which is to link San Rafael to the paved road at Sta Rosa Norte, is supposed to P10 million per kilometer.


An inspection team sent by Ricarte a few days ago found the state of the newly-built asphalt road “disgusting”.