Arroyo orders building of bridge between Cebu, Mandaue
By Jhunnex Napallacan
Visayas Bureau
First Posted 16:50:00 08/24/2008
CEBU CITY, Philippines--President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Sunday to start the construction of a P48-million bridge that would ease traffic congestion at a major artery between the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.
The President issued the instruction to Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane after she inspected the proposed site of the bridge in Barangay (Villages) Canduman and Cabancalan in Mandaue City, said Cebu 6th district Rep. Nerissa Soon-Ruiz on Sunday.
Soon-Ruiz, who initiated the bridge project, said the President wanted DPWH to publish the invitation to bid by Thursday (Aug. 28) to ensure the start of construction by October.
Soon-Ruiz said she was happy with the action of the President because the budget for the bridge has long been approved but the DPWH has been delaying its implementation for no apparent reason.
"I'm happy when I heard the President telling Ebdane… 'You have the money, why shouldn't you start it immediately?' He just needs the President to tell him…," Soon-Ruiz said.
Soon-Ruiz said the cost of the bridge might already reach P60 million up to P65 million because of the escalation of the cost of materials.
Soon-Ruiz said the project was proposed in 2007, with an initial budget of P180 million including the drainage improvement of the three roads near the bridge but Malacañang slashed it down to P100 million.
After the President approved the project, Soon-Ruiz said she followed it up several times with the DPWH and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)) but she said she was given the run-around by these agencies.
When she learned that President Arroyo was visiting Cebu on Sunday for the inauguration of the new campus of the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHS-J), she arranged for the inspection of the bridge site located near the school campus.
Soon-Ruiz said DPWH would first prioritize the construction of the bridge, which would be finished in six months from October, before the agency would start the development of the roads' drainage system in the area.
Soon-Ruiz said the bridge would address the traffic problem in the area, which would serve as an access for many motorists including SHS-J students, who mostly came from Cebu City.
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