Davide seeks Malacañang’s support for trans-axial highway; To attend Sona

GOV. Hilario Davide III will have a busy weekend in Manila.

On top of his to-do list is to ask support from the national government for the administration’s priority projects like the Cebu trans-axial highway.

Davide, who will attend President Benigno Aquino III’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, said he will also try to talk with the country’s high-ranking officials for funding.

“We will ask help from the national government for our projects, the major ones,” he said.

Upon the president’s invitation, Davide is set to leave for Manila early today and attend Aquino’s SONA at the House of Representatives on Monday.

He however said that his chances of talking to the president are slim because they won’t be seated close to each other.

“I don’t know if we can go down and approach him but if ever, we will try to mention the Trans-Axial Highway,” he said.

The governor said he plans to start the feasibility study of the highway project next year.

“It is ambitious but we will try to start studying the Trans-Axial Highway next year. Although it will be hard to finish the entire thing in my three years,” he told reporters.

The Cebu Trans-Axial Highway was first proposed by the late vice governor Gregorio Sanchez Jr. as a solution to the lack of development in the mountainous areas of the province.

Months before his death, Sanchez was able to submit to Malacañang the documents on the proposed project that would traverse areas from Daanbantayan town in the north down to Santander town in the south.

One of the components of the Trans-Axial Highway is the access road to each town and city from the backbone of the Island of Cebu.

The provincial government has reportedly spent P60 million to conduct the pre-feasibility study of the project under the administration of former governor and now 3rd district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia.

Meanwhile, Davide said he will deliver his first State of the Province Address (SOPA) on June next year.

Maybe after a year, during the opening session of our second year,” he said.