PEO to start full implementation of P200 M road project
ROXAS CITY – The Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO) will start the full implementation of the P200 million 19.665 kilometers concreting of provincial road in 14 municipalities next week.
Provincial Engr. Edgar Agana said that the Philippines Veteran’s Bank (PVB) sent Engr. Noel Bautista, appraiser of the bank’s credit department, to conduct field inspections and project validation.
Agana said, the clearing and filling in preparation for the road concreting started this week and the concreting proper will begin next week.
The P200 million loan is the second of the six tranches released by the PVB which is part of the P683 million credit facility of the province with the bank.
Earlier, Agana said that the 19.665 kilometers concreting of provincial road in 14 municipalities will be implemented simultaneously by the province and is expected to be completed within two months.
He added that there are two batching plants in the 1st district which are located in Pilar and Pontevedra and there are three in the 2nd district placed at Tapaz, Dumarao and Dao, or a total of five which would cater to the mixing of cement, sand and gravel.
Batching plants, according to him, are the places where sand, gravel and cement were loaded in transit mixers which is being poured in order to concrete the provincial roads.
It was learned that Board Member Gilbert Ardivilla and four other prominent Capiceños in Manila, filed civil cases in courts to stop the provincial government and the bank from implementing the proposed loan. However, the loan was released last month.
According to the source, the PVB released the P55 million to pay the loan transacted by former governor and now city mayor Vicente Bermejo during his incumbency.
The same source said that another P102.45 million which is part of P200 million intended for road concreting, was also released on March 2.
Under the agreement, the loan will be released through six tranches to finance development projects. It is payable in 10 years with eight percent interest rate.
Included in the loan is the construction of a one-stop-shop government center, purchase of heavy equipment and relocation site of Capiz Rehabilitation Center, among others.
Meanwhile, luminaries, who supported to stop the implementation of loan, warned that the provincial government could avail the loan but they have to take the risk since the proposed loan is still pending at the court in Roxas City.
However, lawyers from provincial government refuted that they will implement the loan since the transaction between the provincial government and the bank was already finished as there was no legal impediment during the application of the loan.
Earlier, the Makati Regional Trial Court junked the application for temporary restraining order (TRO) filed against the loan by four Capiñeno businessmen based in Metro Manila, namely, former Ambassador Frank Alba, former Assemblyman Charles Escolin, lawyers Florencio Martinez and Ceferino Alba. The four complainants secured a TRO four 72 hours but failed to prolong the TRO because of forum shopping.
The court noted that a similar case was also filed by Ardivilla which is presently pending at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 19 in Roxas City.
