Party-list solon expresses optimism on transport system after lawmakers’ tour

TACLOBAN CITY, March 27 (PNA) – A member of the House of Representatives in Eastern Visayas appeared bullish on the country’s transportation network following the legislators' inspection tour.

An Waray Party-list Representative Victoria Noel lauded her colleagues for personally checking the transport system and road network through the 10-day Western and Eastern Nautical Highway Expedition.

“I am optimistic that the House of Representatives will be able to determine the kind of support needed by potential and existing infrastructure projects of the national government,” Noel said on Monday. 

The partylist lawmaker hosted the welcome event for the House of Representatives members who joined the inspection tour when the group arrived in this city on Sunday.

Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, who led the delegation, bragged that "present members of the House of Representatives are all hard working as they were already on the road a day after they went on recess."

The Tacloban stop was the 10th day of their expedition, Fariñas said. 

The team is composed of Senior Deputy Majority Floor Leader Juan Pablo Bondoc; transportation committee chairman Cesar Sarmiento; public works and highways chairman Celso Lobregat; and Representatives Johnny Pimentel, Divine Grace Yu, Manuel Dalipe, Arnolfo Teves Jr., Henry Oaminal, Aurelio Gonzales, Lawrence Furton, Strike Revilla, Henry Fernandez and Alfonso Umali.

The Eastern Visayas officials who welcomed them were Rep. Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Rep. Edgar Sarmiento (Samar 1st), Rep. Milagrosa Tan (Samar 2nd), Rep. Roger Mercado (Southern Leyte), Rep. Vicente Veloso (Leyte 3rd), and Rep. Henry Ong (Leyte 2nd).

In an interview, Fariñas said that "roads and roll-on roll-off (RoRo) ports are generally in good conditions." 

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez was present in almost all days of the expedition. 

The legislators from Manila embarked on an expedition to Batangas, took a RoRo trip to Caticlan, moved to Kalibo and to Iloilo. They slept overnight in Bacolod and drove to Dumaguete.

Afterwards, the group took another RoRo trip to Dapitan, went to Zamboanga del Sur, then to Lanao del Norte, and drove to Cagayan de Oro. They spent two nights in Bukidnon before heading to Tagum and Davao City. The group spent their last day in Eastern Visayas and Bicol region, driving by land and taking RoRo vessel trips that connect Visayas and Mindanao. (PNA)
LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA