BORONGAN CITY- For good governance and transparency, Eastern Samar Development Project Monitoring Team (ESDPMT), Department of Public Works and Highways Eastern Samar District Engineering Office (DPWH ESDEO) and National Irrigation Administration (NIA) joined together in one meeting on January 18, 2019 at DPWH ESDEO Function Hall to discuss status of infrastructure projects in the province of Eastern Samar.
The meeting was initiated by ESDPMT, an independent, ethics-oriented civil society group, composed of individuals representing the various stakeholders.
The team is composed of lawyers, engineers, personalities from the academe, religious group and other sectors in the government.
During the preliminaries, Bishop Crispin Varquez, one of the leaders and organizers of ESDPMT, stated that the main purpose of the meeting is to monitor and ensure the proper implementation of infrastructure projects in the province.
The assembly discussed the DPWH Eastern Samar on-going and lined up projects; Maydolong-Basey Road construction update; status of damaged roads along national highways; engineering solution to landslide-prone areas and situation of the irrigation system in Eastern Samar.
District Engineer Manolo A. Rojas of DPWH ESDEO said that 107 project will be implemented in Eastern Samar this 2019.
“Our total appropriation for this year 2019 once approved is worth 1.6 billion pesos, this includes improvement of shoulders and drainage system along landslide prone areas particularly in Llorente and Giporlos, flood control projects, roads leading to tourism destinations and other local infra projects,” added DE Rojas.
DE Rojas also disclosed that the Samar Island Natural Park-Protected Area Management Board (SINP-PAMB) EXECOM resolution was already approved. The said resolution is endorsing the DPWH for prior clearance to continue the construction of Maydolong-Basey Road.
“We still have four phases to fully complete the Maydolong-Basey road project amounting to P839.2 million, but for the 2019, our focus is to finish prior year contract since it was suspended last year,” said DE Rojas.
Maydolong-Basey road is one of the high impact projects of DPWH because once completed, it will be the shortest route from Borongan to Tacloban and will save an hour travel from the usual four hours ride via Lawaan.
The district engineer mentioned also future network road development plans like the Can-avid-Dolores-Maslog-Jipapad-Las Navas bypass road.
“Our plan is to link this road to San Jose de Buan which when realized will comprise the Samar Island Central Highway,” added DE Rojas.
Meanwhile Dr. Leovigildo Cardenas, a dean from the Eastern Samar State University and one of the members of ESDPMT, posted a thank you message in his Facebook account to DE Rojas for being accommodating and supportive to the monitoring team.
On the comment section, one of the netizens named Felisa Gomba, admired the DPWH Eastern Samar District Engineering Office for reporting its accomplishments to external stakeholders.
“It takes a lot of courage to submit projects for assessment by volunteers of professionals,” Gomba said.
ESDPMT has been a monitoring government projects for 11 years which ensures that transactions will bring to a higher moral ground through honest, efficient and transparent use of the public funds allocated to improve the delivery of basic services to the people.
The vision of ESDPMT is that Eastern Samar will become a place where people lives in peace and prosperity and in a manner befitting their dignity as human beings.
(JAYSON ESPEJO, PR)
