DSWD completes Leyte footbridge

BARUGO, Leyte, May 2 (PNA) -- Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Corazon Soliman led on Saturday the inauguration of 160-meter footbridge in this town’s coastal village.

The PHP3 million footbridge that connects Minohang and Balud villages, was funded through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive Integrated Delivery of Social Service (Kalahi-CIDSS), a community-driven development project of the DSWD and Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines.

Each of the provincial government and the town government provided counterpart for the project worth PHP157,000.

“This only shows that our people know what they need and they worked hard to finish this kind of project for the future of their children,” Soliman said.

“You have shown to the neighboring villages that you are great because you never gave up even if you faced challenges while constructing the bridge,” she added.

Soliman also cited the criticism the government received in 2014 after netizens posted on social media of an image of children crossing the damaged footbridge.

"Your determination has paved way for this project because you want to ensure a better future of your children and some of you who are members of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) want to follow the conditions of the program that includes sending them to school," Soliman said.

Construction of the 160 linear meters concrete bridge started on Nov. 17, 2014 and the target completion date was April 2015. However, they didn’t meet their target due to sea level rise.

The community completed the project in March 2016.

Balud village chief Rogelio Claros said that the completion of the bridge is a fulfilment of their dream that someday children in their community can cross the river safely when they go to school.

The bridge will also help in the economic progress of their village where a resort used to operate before, but when the bridge was damage, the owner decided to stop their operation.

The bridge is also a shelter to locals during times of disaster and emergency.

Just like on what happened to Armelinda Lozada in 2012 when she gave birth to her second child at the bridge.

“It’s good. We don’t need to worry anymore when we cross the bridge. We are thankful because we don’t need to carry our things when crossing the bridge. We don’t need to sacrifice crossing the bridge,” Lozada said. (PNA)
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