Marawi City”•Philippine and Japan officials have set to start implementing a multi-million peso foreign-funded road projects in the multi-pronged rehabilitation program for this war-torn city.
Vice Gov. Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr., said the provincial government had signed up support and collaboration for a P970-million road infrastructure program with Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koji Haneda and Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, in a ceremonial groundbreaking here last week of road rehabilitation projects funded by the Japanese government.
Villar said the project covered the construction of two phases of Marawi Trans-central Road Contract (1-B and 2-B) with 9.56 kilometers, as well as the engineering designs of 13 other road sections (Package 3) with 20.80 kilometers. Package 1-B covers the construction of Bacong-Poona Marantao-Marawi Road (including drainage), the GMA Terminal Access Road, the Marawi-Cadre-New Capitol, the Marcos Boulevard, and the Idarus Road Section. Package 2 covers the MSU-GMA Road and the Lumidong-Amai Pakpak Avenue.
Undersecretary Emil Sadain of the Department of Public Works and Highways Unified Project Management Office Operations and Technical Services, said the 2 billion Japanese yen (about P 970 million) Marawi City Road Rehabilitation Program is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
Adiong and other provincial and city officials were thankful to Haneda and to DPWH officials , who also included Director Virgilio Castillo of the UPMO Roads Management Cluster I, and Project Manager Francisco Sawali.
In his statement, Vice Gov. Adiong thanked the national government, particularly, President Rodrigo Duterte and the Japanese government, saying: “We thank the national government, most particularly Presidente Duterte, for his good administration’s will to fast-track the rehabilitation of Marawi.
“To Secretary Villar, we do hope that this marks the beginning of many infrastructure development programs for the welfare of Marawi City and the whole of Lanao Sur.
“His excellency Koji Haneda, please accept our warmest gratitude for the continuing support to the people of Marawi, especially during this unfortunate times, thank you, thank you.”
Meanwhile, construction works for another JICA-funded road project (Package 1-A) covering the 9.41-kilometer Bacong-Iligan-Marawi Road will start anytime this year once the bidding process is completed, according to reports by the DPWH Public Information Division.
The Japanese government, through JICA has provided a total of 2 billion Japanese yen or about P970 million for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Marawi City and its surrounding areas.