Baguio: The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) continues to receive a huge share from the national government’s funds for infrastructure and road connectivity, an investment that contributes to the region’s progress. ‘For 2025, we have been allotted PHP35 billion for our capital expenditure in the form of infrastructure, roads, (and) bridges that make traveling comfortable,’ Khadaffy Tanggol, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Cordillera director, said in a media interview Wednesday.

According to Philippines News Agency, Tanggol said several road improvement projects, road opening, road paving, and maintenance works have been listed and approved for the region this year. This is on top of the construction, improvement, and maintenance of bridges all over the region. There are also flood control projects approved and are in the pipeline for the year as part of the government’s support to disaster risk reduction resiliency, which can be a major contributor to poverty incidence if left unaddressed.

‘Nakakakuha naman tayo parati ng magandang budget kahit maliit na region tayo (We always get ample amount of budget despite being a small region),’ Tanggol said, thanking the national government for consistently recognizing the region’s needs and the importance of making the landlocked region internally connected by roads. Citing the latest National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) data, Tanggol said the region grew by 6.9 percent in 2023 due in part to the construction of several roads and bridges that help people’s daily lives.

DPWH-Cordillera data shows that about 98 percent of the region’s 2,323 km of road has been paved, only two of the 350 bridges are temporary bridges, and at least 68,528 linear meters of flood control structures have been constructed. ‘With all these milestones, we see a stronger, more resilient Cordillera region taking shape,’ the director said.