CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Being the nearest region to war-torn Marawi City, the Northern Mindanao regional office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will play a key role in the rehabilitation of key infrastructure facilities there.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar made this clear last November 11 as he inaugurated two huge projects – the Cagayan de Oro coastal highway and Igpit bridge. Both infrastructure projects are part of the broader Laguindingan airport access widening.
Villar ordered the DPWH 10 office under director Virgilio Eduarte to assist the agency’s central office and its counterpart in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (Armm) while reconstructing the torn city.
The agency is set to complete on November 25 the road network leading to the resettlement site of people displaced in the five-month war against Islamic State-inspired Maute terrorists, Villar said.
DPWH said it received Thursday the P195 million allocation from the 2017 National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund as initial funding for the Marawi City rehabilitation.
Earlier, a think-thank associated with the Mindanao State University (MSU) released a proposal earmarking P67 million for the school’s infrastructure rehabilitation. Earlier estimates by the government put the amount at P50 million.
The MSU Technical Working Group proposal said there must be a comprehensive reconstruction of all government facilities that were damaged in the battle that started in May and ended last month. (PNA/Mark D. Francisco)
