SAN JOSE, Dinagat Islands, Philippines – At least 26,489 people in 4,847 households from the six municipalities of Dinagat Islands will surely benefit from the concreting of road networks in the province.

Local officials said this will also lessen the travel time of farmers and rural traders in the pursuit of their endeavors.

As this developed, project engineers and technical personnel of the Dinagat Islands Sub-District Engineering Office (SDEO) of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Tuesday were mobilized to fast-track the implementation of the P19, 929,754.55 concreting works, in an effort to hit the target timeline of completion. The “24/7” ground works is personally supervised by Dinagat Islands District Engineer Henry Cruz J. Marapao.

At present, the Dinagat Islands SDEO is fast-tracking the implementation of the project, that includes concreting of the Dinagat-Loreto Road (Doña Helene-Tag-abaca Section), in Basilisa.

According to Marapao, the roads usually become muddy when it rains, prompting him to instruct Construction Section chief Gaspar A. Tagadan, and project inspector Charlemagne L. Origenes to be always at the site and closely monitor the construction activities, and coordinate with the concerned contractor for a smooth operation.

The concreting of the 1,182.97-lineal meter road project will also connect the Barangay Doña Helene and Barangay Tag-abaca section road in the municipality of Basilisa.

“At present, we are ahead of schedule, and we are in the time frame to hit our target with good quality works,” said Marapao.

In another development, a P15.3 million building of the Bureau of Internal Revenue-Revenue District 99 (BIR-RD99) is set to rise in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, in an effort to efficiently serve the constituents of the city, and the agricultural-rich province of Bukidnon.

The implementation of the BIR-RD99 facility got the nod after officials initiated the groundbreaking of the facility in Barangay Casisang here recently.

The site is conveniently located several meters away from the national highway, and a short walk from the Casisang Elementary School.

BIR-10 Regional Director Alberto Olasiman said the facility’s lot was donated by Estelito Marabe, who was a region’s top taxpayer-awardee in terms of corporate and withholding taxes.

“When completed, the BIR could save as much as P45,000 monthly rental fees, owing to the Bukidnon taxpayers’ support, especially to the Marabe family who donated the property,” said Olasiman.

“This is another milestone of the agency in keeping with President Benigno S. Aquino III’s call for austerity measures in governance. We lauded the noble gesture of the donor,” he added.

In a statement, Myrna Bernardo, Revenue District Officer of BIR-RD99 in Bukidnon said, “this is a dream come true, because the agency has been leasing office space buildings for more than 30 years now.”

“BIR-RD99’s more than 50 hardworking men and women could soon conveniently serve clients throughout the province, given the comfortable facilities in the new edifice,” she said.

She added that the building will be completed in about 255 calendar days as stipulated in the project profile.

“With this, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the donor because this is also in line with the government’s call to be sensible in public spending,” Bernardo also said.