Work on Tagoloan-Talakag road continues despite Marawi conflict

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines — The conflict in Marawi has stalled many road projects in Lanao del Sur province, but work on one road is being rushed to help hasten recovery on conflict-affected areas.

 

The 40-kilometer Tagoloan-Talakag Highway, a big-ticket infrastructure project of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, will connect Lanao del Sur province to Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro City, both major economic hubs in Region 10.

 

The route will interconnect Marawi City to the municipalities of Tagoloan and Kapai, both in the first district of Lanao del Sur, and to Talakag town in Bukidnon.

 

Marawi City, which has been under siege by terrorists since May, is the capital of Lanao del Sur.

 

Engineer Don Loong, regional secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways-ARMM, said on Saturday that workers continued with the concreting of the Tagoloan-Talakag stretch of the highway despite security issues.

 

“This will connect the local Maranao communities to trading centers in Region 10. This can boost efforts to rebuild Marawi City economy-wise,” Loong said.

 

The highway will cut by half the three-hour travel time from Marawi City to Cagayan de Oro City via Iligan City, also in Region 10.

 

The P516.2-million Marawi-Tagoloan-Talakag Highway is a joint project of the Office of the Regional Governor, the regional public works department, and the District Engineering Office in the first district of Lanao del Sur.

 

The provincial government of Lanao del Sur is also supporting the implementation of the road project.

 

“Once completed, this road project will help hasten the recovery of Marawi’s conflict-stricken residents and the Maranaos in nearby municipalities,” Loong told reporters on Tuesday.

 

The conflict in Marawi has stalled work on road projects in the city worth around P200 million. 

 

The construction of three multimillion-peso port projects along Lake Lanao, the Marawi, Masiu and Lumbaca-Madaya ports, were also put on hold due to security constraints.