The Department of Public Works and Highways said Wednesday it completed 772 infrastructure projects last year that are now helping the people of Northern Mindanao cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.
It said it finished the construction, maintenance, improvement and widening of 255.6 kilometers of national roads worth P8.93 billion, 16.79 kilometers of national bridges costing P1.91 billion, and construction of 18 flood control projects amounting to P712.33 million.
Also completed were 607 local projects costing P2.81 billion, including 85 local road projects, 49 water supply systems, six Philippine National Police buildings, 435 multi-purpose buildings, 14 tourism road projects, and nine roads to trade, industry, and economic ones.
“We laud the accomplished projects delivered by DPWH Regional Office 10 amid the pandemic. These infrastructure projects allow Northern Mindanao to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic,” DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado said.
The agency said among the projects competed are the Cagayan de Oro Civic Convention Center that is designed to hold various events and will generate jobs for the locals; the Puntian-Arakan Bypass Road that will link Regions 10, 11 and 12; and the Layawan Flood Control Structure that protects communities from the hazards of floods.
“For the remaining months under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s administration, we aim to accomplish more high-impact projects to focus on more inclusive economic growth,” the department said.
Mercado said the construction of Panguil Bay Bridge connecting Tubod, Lanao del Norte and Tangub City, Misamis Occidental is ongoing at full steam.
He said the design and build for the 3.169-kilometer bridge was progressing at a brisk pace, having attained a weighted average of 41.83 percent to date.
The construction of a high-level bridge across Panguil Bay in Northern Mindanao will end the decades-long wait for better connectivity between Tubod and Tangub City.
It will also uplift the economic condition and will also encourage growth of tourism between Misamis Occidental and Lanao del Norte.
The project is funded by a loan from the Korean Export Import Bank.