ΊΪΑΟΙη FILE PHOTO
MASLOG, Eastern Samar β For the first time since the inception of this town 58 years ago, a road will be constructed connecting it to the rest of the province.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a 1.73 kilometer concrete road starting from Barangay 1, which is within the town center, and traversing to seven villages all the way to Barangay Ricare, Jipapad town was held last Friday, May 26.
Mayor Heracleo Santiago said the road project is expected to be finished in eight months at a cost of P98.78 million.
βThis road could be better described as a road to development. If we have concrete roads, the lives of our people will improve, even those from Jipapad,β he said.
Santiago expressed his gratitude to Rep. Marcelino Libanan of the 4Ps party-list group who initiated the project.
Libanan, the minority floor leader of the House of Representatives, said it has been his dream to connect Maslog to the rest of the province.
βThe road is a symbol of development. And I will not be surprised that five to 10 years from now, investments will come and thrive here,β he said.
Maslog, which has a population of 5,463 based on the 2020 census of the Philippine Statistics Authority, could only be reached by a two-hour sea trip from Dolores town.
Alberto Nuguid, a village chairman of Barangay Tugnas which is among the seven villages that will benefit from the road project, said the development will lead to faster and easier travel for its residents and help end the insurgency problem in their village and the rest of the town.
βThis will be a big help for us in terms of better transportation and in the delivery of our farm produce and even services from the government. On top of it, we are optimistic that a road network like this project will result in the end of the presence of the rebels in our village,β he said.
Tugas has a population of 344 people and is about seven kms away from the town proper whose people depend on copra and palay as their main source of livelihood.
RELATED STORY:
New road project opens up opportunities, hope for remote E. Samar town