MANILA, Philippines - Local government officials, civil society leaders and residents of Samar island recognize the importance of the Secondary National Roads Development Project (SNRDP) and recently endorsed it as a “convergence project,” citing its role in connecting lives and opportunities in the island province.
The SNRDP is part of a $434-million, five-year grant from Millennium Challenge Corp. (MCC), an agency of the US government.
In the first of a series of public consultations for the Wright-Taft-Borongan-Guiuan road rehabilitation project organized by the Department of Public Works and Highways, stakeholders assured MCC, represented by deputy country resident director John Polk, and Millennium Challenge Account-Philippines (MCA-P), represented by managing director and chief executive officer Ma. Victoria Añonuevo, of their support for the road project.
The MCA-P is the Philippine corporation created to supervise and manage the implementation of the projects, including $214 million for the SNRDP.
Añonuevo said the rehabilitation of the Wright-Taft-Borongan-Guiuan roads “will play a pivotal role in helping boost tourism in the area and accelerate economic development by providing residents with easy access to schools, markets, health centers and other facilities.”
Allaying fears of possible corruption in the roads project, Añonuevo assured the stakeholders that the MCA-P “will do this project transparently and judiciously” and encouraged the public to help monitor the project by providing feedback as necessary.
While the SNRDP will help bolster inclusive economic growth in the provinces, Polk said, “It will not address all of the challenges to inclusive growth.” He called on Samareños to extend support to the project to ensure its success.