Treñas lobbies with DPWH chief for infra projects
City Mayor Jerry Treñas personally lobbied to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane to give priority to the proposed rehabilitation of Montinola and widening of Buntatala bridge in Jaro.
The mayor met with the public works secretary during the One Visayas Summit last April 12, 2009 in Cebu City. Treñas said there is a “big chance that the bridges will be included in the priority projects.”
Before the said meeting, Treñas also sent a letter to the secretary reiterating the importance of the project.
Treñas sees light in the inclusion of the infrastructure projects after his discussion with the secretary. The rehabilitation of Montinola Bridge and widening of Buntatala are included in the proposed rehabilitation and upgrading of sub-component of Iloilo-Roxas Road under the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development-National Road Improvement Management Program (IBRD-NRIMP 2) funded by World Bank.
The funding agency considered the projects as “less priority” from among the World Bank funded projects in the different parts of the country. The city government exerted efforts in convincing the public works department and the World Bank on the importance of the project. “The concerned bridges and adjacent road section is where vehicular traffic is always heavy. We have tried to do our best to lobby with them to pursue the projects,” said Treñas.
Earlier, Treñas sent letters to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo asking the president to reconsider the urgency of the bridges’ repair and road widening projects. The Sangguniang Panlungsod also passed a resolution attesting the importance of the projects.