Rocaya Sumndad Otical

ILIGAN CITY

The Lanao del Norte officialdom is upbeat about enlarging physical and socio-economic linkages with the rest of Mindanao regions, with the upcoming construction of the long-dreamt Panguil Bay Bridge.

The Panguil Bay Bridge would further boost economic boom in Mindanao, in general, and enhance geo-economic links between Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental, in particular, according to Gov. Imelda “Angging” Quibranza-Dimaporo.

Lanao del Norte officials led by the lady governor met at Tubod capital town last Monday with representatives of the Department of Public Works and Highways and Korean contractors to finalize details in the impending construction of the Panguil Bay Bridge Project (PBBP), a priority project under the Duterte administration.

Lanao Norte 1st District Rep. Mohamad Khalid Quibranza-Dimaporo and 2nd Dist. Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo, son and husband of the governor, respectively, also joined the meeting and sounded off similar optimism, it was learned.

In a statement, Governor “Angging” the project, once completed, it will serve as a vital economic infrastructure for Region 10 (Northern Mindanao) and the rest of Mindanao. It will be a legacy of the Duterte government, she said.

She thanked DPWH Project Engineers Anton V. Gampaya and Miguel R. Ramos, representing Teresita Bauzon, the PBB Project Manager, for granting the request for a coordination meeting and at the same time providing updates on the status of the Project.

She also conveyed gratitude to the Korean Contractors led by Keun Yung Kim, the Project Manager from Namkwang Construction and Engineering, and Ju Jin Sang, Consultant from Youshin Joint Venture for responding to the invitation.

Gov. Angging assured the DPWH and the Korean Contractors that the Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte and its constituents will provide full support for the smooth implementation of the project, even as she designated a site near the PBB Project for the contractors to stage equipment and facilities.

She urged the Legal Officers of DPWH 10 to coordinate with the Provincial Legal Officer to fast track the settlement of land property issues involved in the project impklementation.

At the meeting, Rep. Dimaporo, the son and former three-term governor, underscored the importance of the project as a landmark of peace and development, saying his maternal grandfather, late Governor Arsenio A. Quibranza, had desired it.

Rep. Dimaporo, the husband and a former three-term governor also, initiated the conduct of the feasibility studies for the project when he was governor, it was learned.

For their part, Engineers Gampaya and Ramos assured the Dimaporos that DPWH will regularly provide updates to the Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte and closely coordinate with the Provincial Engineering Office.

Monday’s meeting had set another round of coordinative convergence in January 2021, even as the proponents and stakeholders were one in belief that the bridge construction will be completed with the term of President Duterte. (RSO)