For taking care of roads, b’gay heads to get P500

Barangay heads throughout Luzon will receive a P500 monthly "supervision fee" for helping the national government take care of national arterial and secondary roads traversing their communities, President Arroyo said yesterday.

Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to set aside funds for the supervision fees from the P1 billion earmarked for the "Kalsada Natin, Alagaan Natin" project.

She disclosed the granting of the supervision fee during the launch of the third leg of the road project at the Central Luzon State University in the Science City of Muñoz in Nueva Ecija.

Political observers, however, suspect that such a fee was an election campaign ploy of Mrs. Arroyo who has announced her presidential bid for 2004. — Marichu Villanueva