BASEY, Samar – Travel from Borongan City to Tacloban City will now be fast and easier with the Maydolong (Eastern Samar)-Basey (Samar) road project formally inaugurated.
On Saturday (July 15), Rep. Marcelino ‘Nonoy’ Libanan of the 4Ps party-list led the groundbreaking of the project in the Maydolong side while Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan spearheaded the opening of the Basey road section the following day, Sunday (July 16).
The Maydolong side starts in Barangay Del Pilar while the Basey section starts in sitio Campo 10 of Brgy. Guirang.
“This road is an advantage to Eastern Samar residents because six to eight municipalities will benefit from this shortening of travel time from 4 hours to about 2 hours,” Gov.Tan said.
Currently, travelers from Eastern Samar have two road options when going to Tacloban City. The first is thru the Buray-Taft road and the second is the Borongan-Quinapondan-Lawaan-Marabut-Basey road.
It will take four hours before a traveler reaches Tacloban if they use these two roads.
These roads will also ease the accessibility problem during heavy rainfall when the Buray-Taft road is closed to traffic due to flooding and landslide along the Taft side of the national road.
“This will also benefit economically the people living in communities along the area helping them to improve their condition,” Gov. Tan added.
The Maydolong-Basey road on the Samar side passes through Wespal, where two of the top tourist destinations in Basey town are located. These are the jump-off area to Sohoton Cave and to the entrance to one of the famous waterfalls in the municipality, the Balantak Falls.
Basey Mayor Luz Ponferrada agrees with Gov. Tan adding that aside from communities that will economically benefit the project, the road will strengthen connectivity and inclusivity, and promote public safety and welfare.
“Our residents who are residing in their area will now have access to the services that they well deserve,” she said.
Rep. Libanan, in his message, stressed the importance of a road network for Samar Island to further strengthen and hasten development.
“We are the third largest island but we lack of road network. If this road is completed, this will be the third to cross the two provinces that is why I am thankful that this is now happening because constructing a project like this is not that easy,” he said.
He added that the road will be the island’s trailblazer to progress and development and will going to be the legacy of present leaders will left behind to future generations.
“This road will help the two provinces in trading, sharing of culture, and tourism industry,” Libanan said.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
