Batangueños laud Villar AMAZING!
Government Infrastracture

Batangueños laud Villar AMAZING!

Aug 16, 2021, 12:15 AM
Ismael Amigo

Ismael Amigo

Columnist

SAN JUAN- “HE is amazing.”

That one-liner came from the lips of none other than President Rodrigo Duterte during a recent interview as he was asked to comment about Secretary Mark Villar, his main man at the Department of Public Works and Highways.

And that superlative is also highly acceptable for Batangueños who also laud Sec. Villar for his commitment and big help in introducing big ticket projects that were designed to usher more progress in the province.

“Talaga naman pong napakasipag at napakagaling ni Sec. Villar, kaya kami po ay lubos nagpapasalamat at humahanga sa kanya,” one local resident said.

Because of Sec. Villar’s trademark “Sipag at Tiyaga”, Batangueños are now enjoying well-paved roads, brand new bridges aptly linking municipalities, aside from hundreds of classrooms, and evacuation centers too.

All these projects were aligned with the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” thrust.

Under Villar, the DPWH has already constructed more or less 24,000 kilometers of concrete roads, widened and constructed bridges and many more.

Balibago Bridge

Among these projects is an important infrastructure particularly the Balibago Bridge, a short but highly significant 144-meter bridge that would effectively link the towns of San Juan and Lobo, Batangas when finished.

Similar to other places in the country, the Balibago Bridge is seen to hasten the transport of farm produce to and from the said municipalities.

Aside from saving travel time, the bridge is also seen to perk up local businesses as it will spur the growth of local tourism once the pandemic dies down.

Batangas eco-tourism boost

Located in Brgy. Balibago, Lobo, Batangas, the San Juan-Lobo connector bridge is already 90% said project implementer TCSC Corp., which at present is also in the thick of things finishing the Lobo Malabrigo-Laiya San Juan 20km road project.

This is also envisioned to boost eco-tourism in Batangas province.

The DPWH also has 4-lane diversion road project traversing Batangas City going to Bauan, Batangas.

It is 11- kilometer long and it will pass through several barangays.

DPWH accomplishments

Sec. Villar said that from 2016 to 2019, his agency has already completed at least 23,657 kilometers of concrete roads.

The number could actually be 30,000 if the approved DPWH projects for 2020 and 2021 are included.

And even if the whole country is battling to stay afloat in its fight against Covid-19, Villar is optimistic that infrastructure projects under the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program will all be implemented as scheduled.

“The construction is all systems go. We’re still pursuing our targets whether there’s COVID or not. In other words we are prepared for this new normal and we expect that the Build, Build, Build will continue as planned,” Villar stressed.

Progress beckons

And for that, all roads seem to lead not only to Batangas but to other provinces as well south of Metro Manila as businesses continue to find enough reasons to expand their presence in this area.

Business analysts claim there has been quite a resurgence in interest from investors to look into prospective business opportunities in Southern Luzon (Calabarzon).

Take it from Colliers International PH: “We see Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas benefiting from the government’s infrastructure push. Given this, we recommend that developers zero in on the thriving opportunities outside of the country’s capital.”

Interconnected roads

One of the reasons for this are the good, breezy existing road networks that will connect them from Metro Manila to South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and down the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) here in Batangas.

These linkages have not only allowed investors to come in, but also enabled tourists to reach the stunning beaches and other unique attractions in provinces like Batangas, with some even eventually deciding to find residence in the area.

There is also the 44.63-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAx), which will start from Kawit, Cavite and end at the SLEX-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

More projects

Proposed infrastructure projects are also underway and indeed, the South will be closer than ever.

Case in point is the Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway (CTBEx), a 50.3-kilometer, P22.4-billion tollway project that will connect Metro Manila, Cavite and Batangas.

More specifically, it will see the construction of spur roads connecting Silang, Tagaytay, Amadeo, Mendez, Alfonso and Magallanes in Cavite to Nasugbu in Batangas.

“We look forward to these new infrastructure projects as these will allow for better and more efficient linkages between Metro Manila and the provinces in South Luzon, thus allowing progress to spill over in these areas—much to the benefit of the businesses and residents there,” said Sta. Lucia Land Inc. president Exequiel Robles.

Nasugbu is a first class municipality that is home to white sand beaches, famed luxury seaside resorts, picturesque churches that are popular for weddings, and scenic mountains frequented by the more adventurous hikers.

Manila-Batangas Road

The DPWH has widened and improved portions of the existing Manila-Batangas Road in Barangays Concepcion, Mahabang Parang, Kumintang Ibaba, Kumintang Ilaya, and Balagtas in the City of Batangas.

District Engineer Sonia D. Paglicauan of DPWH Batangas 2nd District Engineering Office (DEO) reported the recent completion of two (2) road improvement projects that are seen to improve vehicular movement in Batangas City during rush hour.

“Through these projects, a total of 2.08-kilometer portion of Manila-Batangas Road in Barangay Concepcion and Mahabang Parang have an off-carriageway, road shoulder and closed canal; 913 meters of the road in Barangays Kumintang Ibaba and Kumintang Ilaya and 251 meters in Barangay Balagtas have also been widened, with road shoulder and drainage component,” said District Engineer Paglicauan.

“We aim to implement similar projects in other road sections to further decongest traffic and address flooding in the City,” added District Engineer Paglicauan.

DPWH Batangas 2nd DEO spent a total of P52.89 million for the road improvement project in Barangay Concepcion and Mahabang Parang, while P66.59 million was allocated to cover the additional two lanes and other road improvement in portion in Barangays Kumintang Ibaba and Kumintang Ilaya.

Big-ticket projects

The DPWH has also calendared 10 big-ticket projects in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon).

And these are the Sariaya Bypass, Alaminos-San Pablo City Bypass, Tayabas Bypass Road, The East West Expressway - a 41.67-kilometer East West Expressway linking Cavite-Batangas Road in the East and Ternate-Nasugbu Road in the West.

Also, Tagaytay Bypass Road will connect two national roads: Indang Alfonso Road via Luksuhin Road and Tagaytay-Batangas Arterial Highway.

Another project is Kaykulot Diversion Road which will connect Sta. Rosa-Ulat-Tagaytay Road and Tagaytay -Laguna via Calamba Road.

Also in the pieline are Laguna Lake Highway, the Star Tollway-Pinamucan Bypass Road - a 19-kilometer bypass road that will connect high growth potential areas, such as Pinamucan in Batangas City to Star Tollway, easing current traffic congestion within Batangas, and lessening travel time by as much as 50 minutes.

The project will also provide alternate access from Star Tollway towards Taysan and Lobo, Batangas via Batangas-Lobo Road and Batangas-Tabangao-Lobo Road.

Also included in the list is Batangas City-San Pascual-Bauan Diversion Road, a 10.88-kilometer project will reduce travel time between Batangas City to Bauan from two hours to 30 minutes.

The last is Lobo-Malabrigo-Laiya-San Juan Road, a 22.16-kilometer project which will connect the municipalities of San Juan and Lobo in Batangas.

DPWH-Batangas

The DPWH District 2 has also widened and improved portions of the existing Manila-Batangas Road in Barangays Concepcion, Mahabang Parang, Kumintang Ibaba, Kumintang Ilaya, and Balagtas in the City of Batangas.

District Engineer Sonia D. Paglicauan said the recent completion of two road improvement projects that are seen to improve vehicular movement in Batangas City during rush hour.

“Through these projects, a total of 2.08-kilometer portion of Manila-Batangas Road in Barangay Concepcion and Mahabang Parang have an off-carriageway, road shoulder and closed canal; 913 meters of the road in Barangays Kumintang Ibaba and Kumintang Ilaya and 251 meters in Barangay Balagtas have also been widened, with road shoulder and drainage component,” she said.

“We aim to implement similar projects in other road sections to further decongest traffic and address flooding in the City,” added Paglicauan.

DPWH-Batangas spent a total of P52.89 million for the road improvement project in Barangays Concepcion and Mahabang Parang, even as P66.59 million was allocated to cover the additional two lanes and other road improvement in portion in Barangays Kumintang Ibaba and Kumintang Ilaya.

Remarkable

Under Sec. Mark Villar, the DPWH also completed last year the P96.5-M river control project in this flood-prone side of the province.

What was remarkable was that the project was completed five months ahead of schedule.

This is a 360-meter retaining wall that now protects residents along Calumpang River in Barangay Gulod Labac and Barangay Pallocan West, Batangas City.

On her report to Sec. Villar, DPWH District Engineer Paglicauan said that a P96.5 million river wall project was completed almost five months ahead of its target accomplishment and now serves hundreds of families living close to the river.

“We completed the construction of this flood-control project last December 2019, months ahead of its target completion in May 2020. This structure will be able to contain the overflow of Calumpang River, preventing flooding in the community,” said Paglicauan.

The construction of Calumpang River revetment which started construction last July 31, 2019 is part of the Flood Management Program of the DPWH, funded by 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

893 flood mitigation structures

As of this writing, the DPWH has already finished and delivered a total of 893 flood mitigation structures, and 18,278 classrooms in Calabarzon.

Road widening into the province’s gateway particularly Sto. Tomas City, now enters its second straight year and are now 85% complete.

Similar horizontal projects by the DPWH are also being implemented throughout Batangas Province and elsewhere in Calabarzon. (IAm/OpBats)


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