The Manila Times

Govt allocates P228 billion for various Bicol projects – DPWH

LEGAZPI CITY — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has allocated P228 billion for Bicol Region’s developmen­t since he assumed office in 2022, Public Works and Highways Director Virgilio Eduardo Eduarte said during the “Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas” with the Philippine Informatio­n Agency.

Eduarte said that at least P71 billion was allotted to Bicol in 2022 and P74 billion in 2023. This year, the government has allocated P83 billion.

Eduarte said that among the priority projects of the Marcos administra­tion is the constructi­on of the 10-story building at Bicol Regional Hospital Medical Center (BRHMC) (formerly the Bicol Regional Training and Teaching Hospital) to accommodat­e the big influx of patients and provide stateof-the-art services to the public.

“This is the biggest hospital in the Bicol Region funded by President Ferdinand Marcos so the Bicolanos will no longer go to Manila to seek medical services because the 10-story hospital being constructe­d at BRHMC is complete with hospital facilities,” said Eduarte.

He said the building will be finished in 2027 with a P4 billion budget.

Eduarte said the BRHMC hospital could serve not only Bicolanos but also residents from neighborin­g regions.

“This is in accordance with the goal of President Bongbong Marcos to bring medical services and facilities closer to the people, especially to patients with special medical needs from far-flung places,” he said.

“This is a very big program of the Marcos administra­tion. It will not only cater to the Bicolanos but throughout the country,” he said.

Another remarkable project of the Marcos administra­tion in Bicol, according to Eduarte, is the 15.9 kilometers six lane Camarines Sur expressway worth P28.4 billion to decongest the traffic in the Maharlika Highway in Camarines Sur area.

For education, the national government allotted at least P1.5 billion budget for the constructi­on and rehabilita­tion of classrooms.

Eduarte said that Marcos prioritize­d the school building constructi­on in the region. He said that 92 school buildings in Albay province destroyed by the previous typhoon will be repaired starting next week.

“In Bicol more or less 300 school buildings are to be constructe­d. Currently, there are 92 classrooms to be repaired with a P152 million budget released to DPWH,” said Eduarte.

Aside from P152 million, engineer Arnel Samson, chief of DPWH maintenanc­e division, said that the department’s district office in Camarines Sur will also implement the repair of school classrooms destroyed by the previous typhoons with a P29 million budget.