Army to secure major Samar road project

TACLOBAN CITY, June 25  – The Philippine Army will secure the construction of nearly PHP1 billion Samar Pacific Coastal Road project, in a bid to stop armed rebels from hampering the road works, a military official said Monday.

Major Gen. Raul Farnacio, commanding general of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said members of the New People’s Army may try to sabotage the PHP997.50-million road project, funded through a loan from the South Korean government

The 11.6-kilometer road works, which was awarded to a Korean contractor, will connect the island towns of Laoang, Palapag, Mapanas, Gamay, and Lapinig to the provincial capital of Catarman and to Arteche and San Policarpo, both in Eastern Samar. It is up for completion in March 2020.

“We need to have a unique approach together with the local government units and the community to ensure the safety of equipment and unhampered implementation of the infrastructure project. We will need their help because we cannot guarantee the safety without the cooperation of other stakeholders,” Farnacio said.

Three military battalions in the area -- the 20th Infantry Battalion in Catubig town, the Civil Military Operation Battalion and the 543rdEngineering Battalion in Laoang-- will help secure the project.

Aside from the communist group, the military is also considering threats from criminal elements that would affect the implementation of the government project.

“That is why we need the support of the people to make sure that this project will be completed on time,” Farnacio added.

The road project will also help promote the tourism potentials of the four Pacific Coastal towns blessed with beaches, rock formations, waterfalls and caves, he said.

On May 31, the Department of Public Works and Highways and the South Korean government held a groundbreaking for the project that will open an 11.6-kilometer, two-lane road and build three bridges. (RTA/PNA)