Zambales town eyes devt projects in agri, tourism

BOTOLAN, ZAMBALES— This town, which has the biggest land area among Zambales municipalities and one of the most populous, is set for some P55.36 milion worth of development projects this year, as the local government unit (LGU) seeks to boost its potential in agriculture and tourism.

Mayor Jun Omar C. Ebdane said the budget for project implementation will be drawn from the 20 percent Development Fund from the Annual Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) and the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF).

Theprojectsincludevariouspublic facilities, road construction and repair, procurement of equipment and vehicles, flood-control and slope-protection projects, and purchase of emergency equipment and supplies that will complement existing community facilities and strengthen economic growth.

“This year, we are going to continue with projects that will fast-track development in the community and hasten improvement of the quality of life of our people,” Ebdane said.

“In the last six months, we finished road construction at Barangay Paco, repair of the Korokoy Road from Barangay San Miguel to Barangay Danacbunga, and repair and improvement of classroom building at the Polytechnic College of Botolan. We will have more of these kinds this year.”

Ebdane said his office, in consultation with other departments of the Botolan LGU, has identified 8 projects to be funded under the LDRRMF, with a total cost of P21.53 million.

Also, 19 projects will be implemented with funding from the 20 percent Development Fund for a total cost of P33.83 million.

The biggest projects set under the LDRRMF are the construction of an operations center for the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office at P3 million; phase 1 construction of drainage canal and flood control/ slope protection works at Barangay Paco, P3 million; shore protection and rehabilitation along barangays Bangan to Danacbunga, P2.5 million; and purchase of welfare goods, food supplies, and other necessities for disaster response at P6.46 million.

Under the 20 percent development Fund, meanwhile, the biggest projects are the purchase of tractor for tourism operations at P3.5 million; minidump truck, P3 million; construction of parking area and landscaping at the Botolan People’s Market, P3 million; construction of welcome/ thank you arches at barangays Panan and Bancal, P4 million; and construction of additional facilities at Dr. Florentino Doble Memorial Hospital, P2.5 million.

Mayor Ebdane said he expects the implementation of more development projects in the coming months with continued windfall from dredging operations at the mouth of the Bucao River here, which yields lahar sand sold mostly for reclamation projects in Manila Bay.

Last year, we received P30 million as municipal share from the dredging operations, and this helped us address our budget deficit. This year, we will get more shares from dredging and I hope that a good portion of this would be able to fund more development projects.