A TOTAL of 75 infrastructure projects—with a cumulative price tag of about P1 billion—will be implemented in various areas of Biliran within this year, a budget that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) hopes would help drive the economy of the island province in Eastern Visayas.
Public Works District Engineer David Adongay Jr. said bulk of the budget, or about P400.8 million, will be used to develop school buildings, multipurpose facilities and for the construction, and rehabilitation, of flood-control structures, seawalls, local roads and bridges.
Roughly P265.5 million was allotted for the Asset Preservation Program, which involves the construction of slope protection structures, asphalt overlay, and reconstruction or upgrading of damaged paved roads.
Meanwhile, P160 million was allocated for the agency’s flood management program, which entails the construction of eight flood-control structures in various areas in Biliran.
Likewise, P85 million will be spent to build two tourism access roads, while P80 million will be used to widen the Biliran Circumferential Road. A trade access road worth P50 million will also be built, as well as P25 million for the provincial police office building.
“We are positive that 2020 is a year of growth for Biliran with all these projects awaiting implementation,” Adongay said.
Biliran, a former sub-province of Leyte, is one of the smallest provinces in the Philippines. It has eight municipalities and 132 barangays. Biliran is known as a tourism destination that boasts of white- sand beaches, majestic waterfalls and dive sites filled with a plethora of coral gardens.