BOKOD, Benguet, Philippines — In order to fastrack infrastructure development and the robust growth of the lucrative local agriculture sector, the national government has again earmarked a total of P371 million for the rehabilitation and upgrading of two secondary national arterial roads that will serve as alternate routes when major roads in the province are closed due to landslides during the rainy and typhoon seasons.

Out of the aforesaid amount, P215 million will be used for the concreting of the Gorel-Bokod-Kabayan-Buguias gravel road while an estimated P156 million will be utilized for the rehabilitation of the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun-Buguias road.

Rep. Ronald M. Cosalan, chairman of the House committee on public works, said the funds to be used for the improvement of the Gorel-Bokod-Kabayan-Buguias road will come from the regular fund of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) while the funds to be used for the rehabilitation of the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun-Buguias road was sourced from the Japan International Cooperating Agency (JICA).

According to him, the improvement of the aforesaid roads that pass through noted vegetable-producing places in the province will significantly improve the travel time even to the remotest areas in the province which will benefit the local agriculture and tourism industry.

The Gorel-Bokod-Kabayan-Buguias road leads towards the scenic Mount Pulag National Park, the second highest mountain peak in the country, and the world famous Kabayan mummies before connecting with the Halsema highway in Buguias town, one of the prominent vegetable-producing towns in the province.

On the other hand, the Acop-Kapangan-Kibungan-Bakun-Buguias road leads to Kibungan town, the Little Switzerland of Benguet, before connecting to the Halsema highway in Buguias.

When the Halsema highway, the main aorta of the Cordillera is closed to vehicular traffic due to landslides during the rainy and typhoon seasons, thousands of motorists and vegetable dealers are always stranded because of the absence of appropriate alternate routes which they could use to reach their own points of destination.

According to Cosalan, the completion of the rehabilitation of the roads will surely help spur infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and economic development in the southern part of Benguet, particularly the towns of Bokod and Kabayan as well as its northern towns such as Tublay, Kapangan. Kibungan, Bakun and Buguias.

At present, the two secondary national arterial roads are considered gravel roads which cause inconvenience to the motoring public and even the farmers who bring their crops to the markets.

Once the roads will be improved, the lawmaker claimed the transport cost of vegetables will surely go down that translates to increased income for the farmers which will result to improved living condition for the poor families.