By Rjay Zuriaga Castor
At least 13 far-flung villages of Calinog in the central part of Iloilo are set to have smooth travel to the town center and have a boost in their tourism industry, thanks to the construction of P135 million worth of concrete access roads.
These access roads will stretch from Brgy. Hilwan, opening up pathways to the village’s eco-agricultural hub, and will connect Brgy. Binolusan Pequeño to Brgy. Supanga, linking these communities to Brgy. Caratagan.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the roads was held on April 18. Construction of the farm-to-market road is expected to be completed this year.
“This is a big help for us, especially in transportation, since fares are now less expensive compared to before. We will have seamless transport of our products to the market,” said Narcisa Dalupines, village captain of Brgy. Hilwan.
Dalupines said that commuting from their barangay using a motorcycle previously took around three hours and cost each person at least P1,000. Now, a trip to the town center only takes an hour and a half, priced at P250-P300 per person.
She further recalled that most of their agricultural products spoiled due to transportation costs outweighing the profits from selling them in the market.
The road network is expected to benefit 665 individuals or 147 families in Brgy. Hilwan, according to Dalupines.
The budget for the construction of the farm-to-market road is from the infrastructure fund of DPWH, with P120 million, while the remaining P15 million is from the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program budget of the Department of Tourism (DOT).
According to Calinog Mayor Francisco Calvo, the clearing of the road started last year to ensure that the contractors can promptly commence material placement.
“This will be a great relief to the communities living in the upland barangays. They can now avail government services with much ease. Our children can receive education without much burden,” said Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor, who primarily pushed for the construction of the road for the remote villages.
The lawmaker also committed to extending electricity to these remote communities concurrent with the road construction.
“The access will also help us protect our forest areas since the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) have already committed to helping us,” he added.
Besides easing transportation, the road network will promote ecotourism sites in the area, such as Brgy. Hilawan, which has 17 identified waterfalls.
“We have already mapped out the area with the help of DENR and are preparing to include it in our ecotourism circuit so that spots are preserved, and threatened species living in those areas are well-protected,” said Crisanta Marlene “Krisma” Rodriguez, DOT-6 director.
Rodriguez underscored the importance of community readiness for potential tourism influx.
“DOT will provide training to the communities since we see that the locals here can potentially be tour guides for our tourists,” she said.
Department of Public Works and Highways-Western Visayas director Sanny Boy Oropel mentioned plans to align the road network with the Panay East-West Lateral Road, connecting remote villages to the provinces of Antique, Aklan, and Capiz.
“We will connect it to Jamindan in Capiz and Libacao in Aklan to establish an alternate route. Using the Panay East-West Lateral Road, we can directly access Boracay Island through this alignment,” said Oropel.
