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AFP completes P8.6-B road project in Samar (Feature)
By Ben Cal

MANILA, Dec. 31 (PNA) -- No amount of rebel attacks prevented the Philippine Army Engineering Brigade from completing the construction of the P8.6-billion circumferential mega road project in Samar that interconnects the island’s three provinces that will spur economic development in the Eastern Visayas region.

Maj. Gen. Mario Chan, Commanding General of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, said that even before the start of the project, the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas (NDF-EV) of the New People’s Army (NPA) spearheaded by Santiago Salas mounted a propaganda campaign branding the construction of the noble project as “militarization.”

But the NPA/NDF/EV miserably failed in their deception as the people of Samar expressed support for the construction of the circumferential road network that connects the provinces of Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar, Chan said.

“No one can stop the people from progressing. Not the selfish desire of the Communist Party of the Philippines to grab power, not the lies of the National Democratic Front, not the terror being carried out by the New People’s Army,” he added.

The Army general said that for the record, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) granted a loan of US$ 200 million (P8.6 billion) to the government for the construction of the circumferential road to spur economic development in Samar, the country’s third largest island endowed with natural resources mostly untapped.

The road network that interconnects the three provinces will speed up business activity in the vast region, he said.

The propaganda line of the rebels has been “the government does not show concern for the people," but "how come the NPA/NDF/EV is opposing the construction of the road project that directly benefits the people?" Gen. Chan asked.

On the contrary, it is the NPA/NDF that wreaks havoc to the economy in Samar for attacking Army engineers who were constructing the circumferential road because no private construction firm dared to accept the job because of the presence of communist rebels in the area, he said.

At the same time, Gen. Chan accused the CPP/NPA/NDF of doing nothing to improve the welfare of the people.

“While it is also true that land reform and national industrialization are needed for development as what they are claiming, why is it that the CPP-NPA-NDF has not done anything to pursue these noble undertakings?” he said.

It could not be denied that the requisite for the land reform and national industrialization to be realized is to have roads and bridges to bring products to the market and for the people to commute safely.

Gen. Chan said that the regional and provincial development plans of the provinces of Samar and neighboring Leyte province led by Gov. Paul Daza of Northern Samar, Gov. Sharee Ann Tan-Delos Santos of Samar, Gov. Conrado Nicart Jr. of Eastern Samar, Gov. Jericho Petilla of Leyte, Congressmen Raul Daza and Ben Evardone, Congresswoman Milagrosa Tan and other chief executives down to the municipal level in the whole Region 8 are supporting the project.

He said the presence of the military is to protect the people from rebel attacks and extortion activities.

NPA rebels have been responsible for the bombings of cell sites and communication satellites, burning of buses and construction equipment, and destruction of irrigation machines and infrastructure in the region, Gen. Chan said. (PNA)

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