GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The provincial government of South Cotabato has completed around P157.62 million worth of infrastructure projects during the first five months of the year.
Engr. Vicente Ayongao, acting head of the Provincial Engineer’s Office, said Tuesday the completed projects were funded under the provincial government’s infrastructure program, comprising 51 vertical and horizontal projects.
Ayongao said 22 of the projects were classroom building “construction, completion, renovation and repair” that were fast tracked in time for the opening of classes last June.
The other completed projects were six road concreting, five lined canal construction, three water system construction and development, one bridge construction, one box culvert construction , one flood control installation and 12 miscellaneous projects, he said.
As of June, he said a total of 48 infrastructure projects worth P267.6 million are undergoing construction in parts of the province.
Ayongao said they have fast-tracked the implementation of the remaining projects to meet their targeted completion, as ordered by South Cotabato Gov. Daisy Avance-Fuentes.
The provincial government has earlier said it has adopted measures to ensure the quality, transparency and integrity of projects, especially infrastructure, implemented within the province. It also created an inspectorate unit that periodically inspects and evaluates infrastructure projects of the local government.
Ayongao said the inspection mechanism has resolved a number of problems and gaps involving some infrastructure projects in the past years.
Meantime, Ayongao said nine other major road projects worth P389.4 million were implemented in the province this year under the national government’s Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces. He added that three of these were already completed while six are still undergoing construction. (PNA)
