MCA-P committed to finish road rehab project in Samar provinces

MANILA, Philippines - The Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines (MCA-P) is committed to complete the $214-million road rehabilitation project in the Samar provinces, which were among the hardest hit by Super Typhoon Yolanda.

“The need to finish this road project has become even more significant to help in rebuilding Samar and Eastern Samar in the aftermath of Yolanda,” MCA-P managing director and CEO Marivic Añonuevo said in a statement.

The road project, called the Secondary National Roads Development Project (SNRDP), is funded by the United States government’s Millennium Challenge Corp. and covers 222 kilometers of road from Buray (Wright) in Paranas, Samar to the Eastern Samar town of Guiuan, where Yolanda made first landfall.

The SNRDP is one of MCC’s three poverty-reduction projects in the Philippines, with a total grant of $434 million. The MCA-P is the accountable entity that manages the grant and supervises the implementation of the three projects.

Of the four contract packages (CPs) under the SNRDP, it was the CP4 areas that were most affected by the typhoon. With the longest road coverage, at 77.51 kms, CP4 stretches from Llorente town, passing through Hernani, Mac-Arthur, Quinapondan, Salcedo and Mercedes, before ending in Guiuan. All five towns suffered devastation from Yolanda.

In areas covered by CP3 and CP4, approaches to a number of bridges and cross drainage structures were damaged, rendering them impassable. However, CP3 and CP4 contractors immediately repaired the damage and normal traffic was restored immediately.

A five-km stretch in Hernani town covered by CP4 was heavily damaged, with only one lane passable. The contractor is presently fixing the road to make both lanes passable.

In the aftermath of Yolanda, MCA-P contractors were quick to respond to calls for assistance by deploying their trucks and heavy equipment to Tacloban, Leyte and the different towns of Samar and Eastern Samar for road-clearing operations.

Contractors DM Consunji, CM Pancho, Qing-jian, Mac Builders, Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction, and Yakal Construction also lent their trucks to local governments or provided fuel to other vehicles to pick up and deliver relief goods to typhoon-devastated areas in the region.

“We have shown that, through the road project, we can make a difference in the lives of the people of Eastern Visayas, especially Samar and Eastern Samar,” Añonuevo said.

She added: “We are committed to help in rebuilding the Samar provinces. We are extending our hands to the people of Samar and Eastern Samar until they get back on their feet and move forward on the road to recovery.”