Lapu-Lapu grooming for ASEAN summit

The grooming of Lapu-Lapu City for the coming ASEAN summit in December is beginning.

The national government has just allocated P126 million for the expansion of some roads in the city. These roads include the one that stretches from the Petron gasoline station in barangay Basak to the Marigondon causeway where Plantation Bay is located, and the stretch of road from the Mactan Shrine to Coral Point Hotel in Punta Engano where Shangri-la Hotel and the Hilton Hotel are located. In total, the roads have a net length of 4.22 kilometers.

These hotels would host 12 out of the 22 heads of state and their entourage during the summit.

City council majority floor leader Alley Berdin endorsed a resolution yesterday authorizing Mayor Arturo Radaza to turn over these local roads to the national government.

Berdin said the Department of Public Works and Highways could not proceed with the expansion work unless the roads are turned over to the national government.

The project would affect several houses.

"This is advantageous to the city government because we will no longer appropriate certain amount for the maintenance of these roads which we used to do. The city government will not spend anything for this," Berdin said.

Radaza, in his letter to the members of the city council, said that since Lapu-Lapu City would be one of the hosts to the summit, it is imperative that it prepares all the necessary programs and activities to ensure the successful holding of such an important event.

Radaza said that the city government is also working on a tight budget for the improvement of other local roads and highways. -Mitchelle P. Calipayan