Cordillera provinces get P449-M Kalsada fund

The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) continues to provide technical assistance to local governments, this time to provincial governments on local road management (LRM) in the implementation of Konkreto at Ayos na Lansangan, ang Daan tungo sa Pangkalahatang Kaunlaran (Kalsada). 

Carol Gano of the DILG-Cordillera informed that six provinces in the region received a total of P449,862,367.28 for the upgrading and rehabilitation of 52.40172 kilometers of provincial roads.

Benguet received the biggest allocation at P88,183,248.13 for two projects, namely the rehabilitation and improvement of the Halsema-Madaymen and Guinaoang-Suyoc-Gambang roads.

Mountain Province was given P85,627,211.95 for the improvement of the Tadian-Nacawang, Besao-Tamboan, and Bontoc-Mainit roads.

Abra received P76,681,085.33 for the upgrading and improvement of the San Juan-Tineg, Bituen-Lacub, and Sallapadan-Bucloc roads.

Apayao got P74,125,049.15 for the improvement of the Buluan-Mawigue-Allangigan-Karikitan, Nararagan-Consuelo (Sta. Marcela)-Balluyan (Flora), and San Francisco-Alem-Poblacion (Pudtol) roads.

Kalinga was allotted P67,734,958.71 for the rehabilitation of the Bulanao-Laya-Balong provincial road, while Ifugao received P57,510,814.00 for the upgrading of the Zamora-San Quintin-Bangar and Lamut-(Sanafe)-Hapid roads.

Funds for 14 provincial road projects were directly downloaded to these provinces upon the endorsement of the DILG regional office, based on their compliance with the readiness criteria.

Gano said the project implementation has commenced and expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Kalsada is a performance-based incentive program under the Local Government Support Fund. It hopes to enhance local government systems, processes and practices in local road management that lead to improved local road conditions.

It was developed to respond and build on the resolution of the League of Provinces of the Philippines, urging the Department of Budget and Management and the DILG to provide for provincial road network development, in support to institutionalizing LRM in all provinces.

The program covers 74 provinces nationwide that are compliant with the Good Financial Housekeeping, based on the 2014 assessment conducted bythe DILG. The level of funding for each province was determined through needs and performance indicators.

Performance indicators refers to the Special Local Road Fund (SLRF) subproject completion rate and road maintenance, while needs indicators include the need for road upgrading/improvement, such as the length of a paved road against the total provincial road length.

Kalsada calls for a cost-sharing scheme between the national and provincial governments based on income class. First-class provinces will provide a 30-percent share; second class, 20-percent share; and third- to fifth-class, 10-percent share in the respective total project cost.