TACLOBAN CITY – Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan announced that a proposal has been submitted for the construction of a road connecting the municipality of San Jose de Buan to the town of Maslog in Eastern Samar province.
Gov. Tan explained that this proposed road is part of the “peace and prosperity roadmap,” aimed at enhancing the economic and peace and order situation in the villages along its path.
“We are hopeful that the national government will assist us in the construction and concreting of the road from Barangay Gusa, the last barangay of San Jose de Buan, leading to Maslog,” she said.
“We have already prepared a proposal including the program of works and detailed engineering design. Now, we are requesting the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity to help us secure the necessary funding,” Tan added.
According to the proposal from the Samar province, the road from San Jose de Buan to Maslog will utilize the existing logging road, which has been in place for several decades.
“To minimize deforestation, we plan to use the logging road as much as possible. However, this will depend on the alignment approved by the DPWH and the inspection by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” the Samar governor explained.
Once funded and completed, this project will enhance road connectivity between Samar and Eastern Samar provinces, improving not only the economic and security situation but also disaster and emergency response capabilities.
Currently, Samar and Eastern Samar are connected by two roads: the Buray-Taft road and the Basey-Marabut-Lawaan-Quinapondan road. Additionally, the DPWH has an ongoing road project linking the two provinces through the Basey-Maydolong-Borongan road, which began construction in 2016.
In a press conference organized by the Philippine Information Agency, DPWH Regional Director Edgar Tabacon stated that constructing roads to link the interior municipalities of Samar is part of the agency’s pipeline projects.
“All these towns – Maslog, Jipapad, Las Navas, Silvino Lobos, Matuguinao, and San Jose de Buan – have proposals to be interconnected by a road network. We are consolidating these for a feasibility study,” Tabacon said.
He emphasized that a feasibility study is essential for the national government to approve the proposal and allocate funding. (ROEL T. AMAZONA)
