Gibo proritizes infra programs

MANILA, Philippines - On behalf of Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro Jr., we would like to thank your columnist, Mr. Rey Gamboa, for bringing to our attention in his column titled “Readers look at presidential aspirants” (Philippine Star, March 5, 2010), the concerns of a Star online reader, Mr. Roger Gaki, about the absence of a bridge between Sta. Ignacia and Gerona towns that would shorten travel time for motorists passing though Tarlac province.

We would like to assure Mr. Gaki, and Mr. Gamboa as well, that as early as 1998, when then-Rep. Gibo Teodoro first assumed his seat as Representative of the First District of Tarlac, he already lobbied Congress to improve the state of the roads and other infrastructure in Sta. Ignacia, Tarlac.

Unfortunately, from the very start, the building of a bridge between Sta. Ignacia and Gerona ran into two snags.

The first was legal: from a jurisdictional standpoint, the proposed bridge would fall squarely under the jurisdictional control of Gerona town.

The second obstacle was economics. After a comprehensive due diligence study by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), it was learned that building a 300-meter bridge between Sta. Ignacia and Tagumbao in Gerona would not be cost effective given the computed volume of traffic that would use the said infrastructure

Instead, Gibo proactively worked to shepherd 15 bills through Congress to specifically convert 15 sections of municipal roads in Sta. Ignacia and Sulipa into national roads. The strategy behind this was to ensure that the DPWH would allocate the necessary funds to upgrade and maintain the smaller municipal roads in the area, thus facilitating the smooth flow of commercial traffic through the area.

Out of the 15 bills filed by Gibo from 1998 to 2007, eight were enacted into law by Congress, leading to the marked improvement in the condition of these roads. Seven more bills are now pending in the Senate to convert the remaining municipal roads into national roads.

The conversion of these roads are now being pursued in Congress by current Rep. Monica Louie “Nikki” Prieto Teodoro.

Again, we thank you and Mr. Gamboa for the opportunity to clarify the issues that Mr. Gaki had raised. Gibo looks forward to serving his countrymen through long-term infrastructure programs, among others, when he is elected as the next President of the Philippines.

Thank you very much. — Atty. MICHAEL T. TOLEDO, Spokesman and Director, G1BO 2010 Media Bureau