Pili, Camarines Sur
12 February 2016
President Benigno S. Aquino III led the inspection of the San Jose Bridge and a drive-through inauguration of the Pili Diversion Road Widening Project in Pili, Camarines Sur.
Under the P66.32-million worth project of the Department Pubic Works and Highways (DPWH), the connecting road of the San Juan Bridge, which had been earlier rehabilitated in July 2015, will undergo a road-widening project. This comes after the Pili Diversion Road had been recently converted from a two-lane to a four-lane road — considered as the first four-lane road and highway construction connecting Manila to Sorsogon.
The widening project of the Pili Diversion Road cuts travel time from 20 minutes to five minutes as this has become an alternate route to the Pili-Poblacion road that benefits over 6,000 motorists.
According to the President, rehabilitation of the roads and bridges in the region is part of the ongoing nationwide strategic infrastructure development program of the DPWH. It has so far allotted Camarines Sur with P15.96 billion—three times worth the P4.73 billion budget allotment in 2005 until 2010. These infrastructure projects had been strategically selected to promote local tourist destination sights. Meanwhile, allocation for the country’s infrastructure projects this year was augmented to P766.8 billion, making up 5% of the total Gross Domestic Product for 2016.
“Good governance is good economics. Sa tapat at mabuting pamamahala, napapaunlad ang ekonomiya. Ito rin mismo ang nagbibigay sa gobyerno ng higit sa kakayahang bigyang lakas an gating mamamayan upang makiambag sa lalo pang pag-unlad ng bansa,” he said.
Liberal Party vice-presidential candidate Leni G. Robredo, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, Interior and Local Government Mel Senen Sarmiento, Budget and Management Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad and Pili Municipality Mayor Alexis San Luis II joined the President during the event.
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