Road easing travel in Samar breaks ground

Public Works and Highways Sec. Mark Villar together with South Korean ambassador Han Dong-man lead in the groundbreaking of P1.03 billion road project that will connect towns of Northern and Eastern Samar provinces on Thursday (Photo: Josiah Rei Echano)

TACLOBAN CITY – Travel from Northern Samar to Eastern Samar will soon not only be safer but also faster.

The Samar Pacific Coastal Road (SPCR) Project, which broke ground on Thursday, will connect five towns in Northern Samar to the two towns in Eastern Samar, forming a circumferential road on Samar Island.

The 11.607-km project, worth P1.03 billion, was expected to be completed in March 2020 and would provide convenience and economic benefits among the locals.

The circumferential road, which includes three bridges, will traverse the towns of Laoang, Palapag, Mapanas, Gamay, and Lapinig, in Northern Samar, and Arteche and San Policarpio, in Eastern Samar.

Present in the groundbreaking ceremony in Barangay Simora, Palapag town, were Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar and South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines, Han Dong-man whose government funded the project through the Korea Export-Import Bank, Economic Development Cooperation Fund Loan.

In his speech, Villar described the SPCR as a “landmark project” that would provide seamless and safer transport.

Ambassador Han said the SPCR is a testament of a strong relationship between the Philippines and South Korea.

He added the groundbreaking came at a time when President Duterte was set to visit Seoul on June 3 to 5.

Northern Samar Governor Jose Ong, in a statement, said the road project would not only provide safe and fast travel among residents in the areas where the project traverses, but would help hasten the transport of goods and services.

“I sincerely hope that this could be our strategic solution to the economic crisis affecting those areas,” Ong said.

Once completed, land travel from Palapag and other neighboring towns to the provincial capital of Catarman would be cut to just less than two hours from the current more than three hours, Josiah Rei Echano, provincial information officer of Northern Samar, said.

These towns, all facing the Pacific Ocean, could also be reached by sea travel which is dangerous especially during bad weather, he added.

Echano also said the road opening on these areas could help address the insurgency problem as he described these towns as an “old bastion” of the the New People’s Army.