LP no reply on request: Governor grants Martinez' wish, pours P10.8 million for Bogo roads

CEBU, Philippines - The City of Bogo is getting projects from the Capitol ahead of the promise made by allies of the Liberal Party in Malacañang.

Bogo City Mayor Celestino “Junie” Martinez Jr. disclosed that he did not get any response regarding the projects he requested from Manila since last year which included the maintenance of barangay roads.

Last elections, Martinez ran under the LP led by President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, III.

Martinez confirmed that he asked his political foe, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, for the asphalting of the circumferential road leading to the public market and bus terminal.

He said the city ran out of funds for the road asphalting after the Internal Revenue Allotment was not released due to the Supreme Court’s flip-flopping decisions on their cityhood status.

“We requested it tungod kay wa na gyud mi funds nga mahikap, nag-abli mi sa road, nihangyo mi pwede ba ma-aspalto, (…we don’t have available funds. We have opened the road and so we asked for help in the asphalting.)” Martinez said.

Garcia immediately approved the P10.8 million asphalting project from the Provincial Government and signed the procurement order of the project in answer to the request of Martinez and his Sangguniang Bayan officials.

This is a two-lane, two kilometer road which is 6.1 meters wide.

Garcia wants the project to be implemented immediately as this is one of the important infrastructures in the city.

Provincial Planning and Development Office (PPDO) Chief Engr. Adolfo Quiroga said the project will be completed in 30 days.

Bogo City Planning and Development Coordinator Carlo Fernando Logarta told The FREEMAN that the project started last week and the base preparation was already completed.

Logarta said the city’s counterpart is P2 million for the aggregates and limestone.

Despite her differences with the city officials, Garcia also approved in 2008 a request from the Bogo City Council for the province to rehabilitate a road that connects two barangays in the city.

In a resolution, the city officials requested Garcia to undertake the asphalt paving of the Pandan-Odlot provincial road in the city which stretches for about nine kilometers and connects barangays Pandan and Odlot.

Martinez is a known critic of Garcia, but the governor explained that it is improper to deprive towns or cities from infrastructure projects despite political differences. — (FREEMAN)