By Brian Jules Campued
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday has inked new laws renaming Bohol Circumferential Road, Urdaneta Bypass Road, Tambacan Bridge, and a national highway in Camarines Sur; and creating a new barangay in Surigao del Sur.
According to a statement from Malacañang on Sunday, Marcos renamed Bohol Island Circumferential Roald as President Carlos P. Garcia Circumferential Road through Republic Act (RA) No. 11987.
The circumferential road in Bohol, the province where the former president was born, “traverses through Brgy. Poblacion III, towards north of Tagbilaran City and returns to the same barangay from the eastern side of the city.”
Under RA No. 11988, Marcos renamed the Urdaneta City Bypass Road—which traverses several barangays in the said city in Pangasinan—to Ambassador Eduardo ‘Danding’ M. Cojuangco Jr. Avenue, after the former chair of San Miguel Corporation.
The Tambacan Bridge that traverses the Iligan River in Barangay Tambacan, Iligan City in Northern Mindanao was renamed Mariano Lluch Badelles Sr. Bridge under RA No. 11989. Badelles Sr. represented the first district of Lanao del Norte.
The President also signed RA No. 11990 which names a Camarines Sur national road to Speaker Arnulfo ‘Noli’ Fuentebella Highway, stretching from Barangay San Juan Bautista, traversing through Barangays Tagongtong, Abucayan, Hiwacloy, Digidigon, Balaynan, and Payatan in the Municipality of Goa.
The national highway—named after the Camarines Sur lawmaker who led the House of Representatives from 2000 to 2001—included Barangays Lupi, Tierra Nevada, Binalay, Camagong, Salvacion, San Roque, San Ramon, Sagrada, La Medella, Magsaysay and San Vicente in the Municipality of Tinambac up to Barangay Nalayahan in the Municipality of Siruma.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive signed into law RA No. 11986 which creates Barangay Guinhalinan in Barobo, Surigao del Sur.
It also directs the Commission on Elections to conduct and supervise a plebiscite to be held in Barangay Guinhalinan within three months from the effectivity of the law to be shouldered by the municipality of Barobo.
The Mayor of Barobo is tasked to appoint a Punong Barangay, seven Sangguniang Barangay members, a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairperson, and seven SK councilors until their successors have been elected and qualified.
Aside from these, Marcos also signed RA No. 11991 which re-numbers the first, second, third, and fourth district engineering offices in Cebu; and RA No. 11992 creating a district engineering office in the Second District of Southern Leyte.
According to Malacañang, the Department of Public Works and Highways is mandated to issue the necessary rules, orders, and circulars to implement the newly signed laws within the 60 days of effectivity.
All five aforementioned laws will take effect 15 days after their respective publications in the Official Gazette, or in a newspaper of general circulation. – avds