Completion of road project to boost economy of Aurora province

BALER, Aurora — The eco-tourism industry in this province, listed as one of the country’s 20 poorest provinces, will receive a big boost and an unprecedented economic growth once contruction of the on-going P468-million Baler-San Luis-Ma. Aurora Road is completed.

Engr. Medel Chua, district engineer of the Aurora engineering office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), told The STAR that the eco-tourism industry in the province will boom if the road project, which is funded by the 22nd Yen Loan of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) is realized.

"This project will create a solid link between the capital town of Baler and Metro Manila," said Chua, adding that investors from the metropolis will be enticed to put up businesses in the province with the expected shortened travel time.

Chua said that based on the project approved for funding by the Investments Coordinating Committee (ICC) of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), the project will be implemented in three contract packages. The first package will involve concreting of 10.9 kilometers of roads and all-weather, concrete bridges.

He said the project also involves the concreting of 30 kilometers of roads in Baler and another 10 kilometers in Nueva Ecija.

Negotiations for the project were started during the first term of Rep. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo of the lone district of the province.

Chua said that travel time between Baler to Metro Manila will be shortened by two hours from the six-hour travel time at present. He said that travelers from Metro Manila will surely make the province their tourism destination because of the wind surfing activities in the capital town, the site of the first known international wind surfing competition.

"As you see now, many travelers and investors want to go to Aurora but they are turned off by the bad road conditions," he said.

The improvement of transport facilities within the area would inevitably lead to economic development in this province since faster travel time translates to cheaper transport rates and higher productivity, he added. — Manny Galvez