Ilagan City, Isabela
07 April 2015

President Benigno S. Aquino III flew to Isabela province and inaugurated the newly constructed Lullutan Bridge in Ilagan City.

Upon arrival, he led the unveiling of the project marker and boarded an open-type jeep for an inaugural drive-through together with Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio “Babes” Singson, Provincial Governor Faustino Dy III and Isabela District 1 Representative Rodolfo Albano III.

In his remarks, President Aquino mentioned that it was in 1995 when logs and debris brought by Typhoon Rosing tore down the spillway bridge connecting Barangays Calamagui 1st and Lullutan, forcing residents to re-route for 1.5 hours to 2 hours in the municipalities of Gamu or Tumauini.

With the construction of the Lullutan bridge, travel time is shortened to only five minutes. “Tapos na po ang inyong kalbaryo. Bukod po sa mas maaliwalas at mas mura na ang inyong biyahe, mas sariwa pa ninyong maibebenta sa merkado ang inyong mga produkto,” President Aquino said.

He also shared that this bridge is only a part of government’s initiatives to improve infrastructure in Isabela. As such, the construction of the Cabagan-Sta. Maria bridge (connecting Isabela to a town in the Cordillera Administrative Region) is still ongoing. Meanwhile, 161 irrigation projects were completed with an additional 32 irrigation projects targeted to be accomplished which would benefit at least 90,950 farmers in the entire province.

“Makakaasa naman po kayo na sa nalalabing panahon ng ating termino, mas marami pa tayong magagawang imprastraktura dahil mas malaki pa ang ibubuhos nating pondo sa sektor na ito,” the President added.

The P772.92 million bridge is a project of the Department of Public Works and Highways aiming to boost interaction in the province and support the increased agricultural productivity in Region II. It is a 500-meter structural steel bridge that connects Barangays Calamagui and Lullutan in Ilagan, and is known as one of the longest bridges in the region.

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