Davide assures: Projects will be completed in 2015

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III yesterday assured that the provincial government will continue and finish the projects it started this year come 2015 and follow up on the promises he made to local government units he will implement before his term ends in 2016.

Davide made the assurance in a Christmas message he made yesterday.

For one, the province intends to buy heavy equipment that can help LGUs especially during disasters. When the provincial government was preparing for typhoon Ruby, some mayors have raised the importance of heavy equipment to make clearing operations easier.

Davide said a group of contractors has offered heavy equipment to the province but Capitol would need to buy more for the LGUs.

Davide also said that rehabilitation of old roads and construction of new ones will be a priority in 2015. For this, he would need the Provincial Board’s authority for him to enter into a loan agreement with a bank.

The Trans-axial Highway project is among those he wants to implement next year, Davide said. The 300-kilometer road, which is estimated to cost P56 billion, aims to connect the northern most part of Cebu from Daanbantayan to the southern most part in Santander.

For the 2015 annual budget, P2 million was allocated to mobilize a Technical Working Group, which continues to study the project.

The province reportedly welcomes a private investor, considering that the project will require a huge amount of money from the feasibility study until the actual implementation

Meanwhile, the governor said the province will continue to work on road-right-of-way issues in the Tayud, Consolacion and Tayud, Liloan road that connects the P2.4-billion Cansaga Bridge. He said negotiations are still ongoing with residents who have turned down the amount offered by the government to acquire their lots.

“There are still residents na dili contented sa price na gisabotan na nato,” Davide said.

The Tayud Road was converted into a national road from being a provincial road and the Department of Public Works and Highways-7 is having it widened.

Davide assured further that the province will continue to prioritize health services and food security. — Ainjeliz de la Torre – Orong/JMO (FREEMAN)