DILG releases coffee table book on inspiring stories of local roads, bridges in Luzon

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently released a coffee table book entitled “Samu’t Saring Kwentong Kalye Vol. 1,” containing inspiring stories on how good local roads and bridges provide better access and improve the lives of the people in rural Luzon. 

DILG Secretary Ismael D. Sueno said that the book, which was published by the DILG’s Office of Project Development Services (OPDS), gives a peek into the everyday lives and experiences of the people in Abra, Pangasinan, Benguet, Cagayan, Isabela, Pampanga, and Albay whose lives have been significantly changed through the completed Bottom-up Budgeting (BuB) Local Access subprojects.

“We have long recognized the importance of good roads in the development of our localities, and now is an opportune time to put our assistance into high gear,” Sueno said.

The DILG Secretary hoped that the photos and narratives in the portfolio of completed projects included in the said coffee table book will give the general public insights to life surrounding the different places in Luzon and how good roads spur competitiveness and local economic development in the countryside.

BuB-Local access is one of the components under the BuB program which includes capacity development and assistance for local government units (LGUs) in the construction, repair and rehabilitation of core local roads and bridges. This P563.16-million program covers 690 subprojects across 12 cities and 181 municipalities in 65 provinces across the country.

Undersecretary Austere A. Pandero said that BuB has provided a space for the national and local government to work together with the community to pursue improved access to local roads.

Apart from BuB-Local Access, the DILG-OPDS also handles another local road project called Special Local Road Fund (SLRF) from the 5% Motor Vehicle Users Charge (MVUC) for the rehabilitation and maintenance of provincial and city roads.

There is also the Conditional Matching Grant (CMGP) to Provinces for Road Repair, Rehabilitation and Improvement (formerly KALSADA), a partnership program between the DILG and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) which provides capacity building, technical support, and financial funding for the upgrading, rehabilitation and improvement of provincial roads in provinces that pass the good financial housekeeping component of the Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG).