ARMM, Army brigade to implement PHP199.7-M road projects in Basilan

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 10): ARMM, Army brigade to implement PHP199.7-M road projects in Basilan

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Philippine Army’s 54th Engineering Brigade on Friday agreed to implement the PHP199.7-million road concreting projects in Basilan province.

ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman and newly installed 54th Engineering Brigade commander, Brig. Gen. Arnold Fernandez signed the agreement shortly after the re-activation of the brigade in Camp Arnaldo Fernandez Jr., Barangay Cabatangan here.

The road projects cover the 3.5-km. Sampinit-Masola Road in Isabela City with an allocated budget of PHP82.2 million, and the 5-km. Sampinit-Punoh-Mahadie Road in Sumisip town with an appropriation of PHP117.5 million, for a total of PHP199.7 million.

Engineer Don Mustapha Loong, secretary of the public works office in ARMM, said the roads form part of the Basilan Transcentral Road and are among the first projects being undertaken under Phase II of the Transcentral road project.

Loong said a total of PHP806.05 million has been allocated for the Phase II Transcentral road project that covers 34.3 km.

Hataman said the completion of the projects will bring peace and development to Basilan.

“It’s completion will deny safe haven to the Abu Sayyaf bandits,” he added.

Loong noted that the Basilan Transcentral road project is one of the key connectivity projects of Hataman in Basilan that will reduce travel time between the town of Sumisip and Isabela City, and between Maluso municipality and Lamitan City.

“The project connects different towns located at the center of the province to the Basilan Circumferential Road. This will allow better logistics and people interconnectivity in Basilan,” he said.

“It is hoped that upon completion of the Basilan Transcentral road, there would be peace in Basilan, faster movement of people, cheaper transport costs, more agricultural areas developed and a more competitive Basilan ready for the ASEAN integration, Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area and the Basilan Economic Zone.”

The signing of the agreement was witnessed by Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda; Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr.; and Basilan Governor Hadjiman Hataman-Salliman.

Meanwhile, the implementation of Phase I of the Transcentral project is ongoing with a budget of PHP252 million covering 21 km.

The allocation was sourced from the 2016 regular infrastructure budget of ARMM.

Since 2012, ARMM has allocated a total of PHP7.865 billion for infrastructure projects in Basilan.

For this year, a total of PHP2.207 billion has been earmarked for the province under the region’s infrastructure program.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=962933