Cagayan de Oro's 2nd District getting P1-Billion in infra projects for 2010

Cagayan de Oro would be getting nearly a billion pesos worth of infrastructure projects following Congress ratification of the proposed P1.54-trillion national budget for 2010 on Friday, December 18.

"The congressmen and senators from Mindanao have worked together to bring in almost a billion pesos worth of projects to Cagayan de Oro and Region 10," Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez (PMP, 2nd District) told members of the Cagayan de Oro Press Club during a social occasion in a downtown restaurant Dec. 21.

The biggest appropriation was P500 million for the right-of-way (ROW) acquisition for the Mindanao Railway System (MRS) project to commence next year. Earlier, Rodriguez said he would work to get some P100-million for the acquisition of the Cagayan de Oro side 30-meter ROW of the MRS next year on top of the P13.2 million restoration of the MRS project office operations budget headed by Undersecretary for Rails Guiling A. Mamondiong, concurrently MRS Special Action Officer.

After its approval and endorsement by the Regional Development Council 10 during its Dec. 11 full council meeting, the project is next slated to be evaluated by the NEDA´s Investment Coordinating Council (ICC) technical committee and thence to the NEDA Board for final approval.

Rodriguez said he has also managed to have the second tranche P360-million allocated for first phase of the P1.4 billion Cagayan de Oro Coastal Super Highway, a 12-kilometer four-lane coastal road running from Puntod to Bugo. Included in this amount would be the addition of another lane in Julio Pacana street along Bgys. Puntod and Macabalan.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) already has an initial P120 million to reclaim land for the superhighway along Lapasan to Gusa.

Not the least, Rodriguez said the Mindanao bloc of Congressmen also included P86-million to add another lane to the 3-lane portion of Sayre Highway which rises in Carmen Hill along Bgy. Puerto, Cagayan de Oro going to Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Sayre Highway is the portion of the Philippine national highway which links Puerto, Cagayan de Oro City to Kabacan, North Cotabato, traversing Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon and North Cotabato.

Origignally named Route 3 , it was renamed in honor of Francis B. Sayre, the U.S. Philippine High Commissioner who spearheaded its construction. It extends southward through central Mindanao for a distance of about 100 miles, linking the northern and southern arms of Route 1 (Digos-Butuan Highway). This section of the Philippine national highway was constructed during the American occupation of the Philippines.