Students and teachers will soon no longer have to brave the raging current of Pisompongan River to reach the other side of the village as government peace body allocated P48 million funds to kickstart the construction of a concrete bridge in Midsalip town in Zamboanga del Sur province.
Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) chief Carlito Galvez Jr. handed over last week the cheque to Zamboanga del Sur Gov. Divina Grace Yu and Midsalip Municipality Mayor Elmer Soronio for the bridge.
Galvez, during a Kapihan sa Manila Bay media forum on Wednesday, said the OPAPRU only gave P48 million or 80 percent of the P60 million worth of project in line with Commission on Audit requirements.
The P60 million fund is from the OPAPRU’s Pamana program, which aims to address the root causes in areas affected by decades of armed conflict.
This double lane concrete bridge will have a net length of 50.84 linear meters with carriageway width of 7.32 meters, and is expected to be completed in about 236 days or roughly seven months, according to OPAPRU.
Galvez said the analysis on the bridge’s footing is underway before the construction begins.
The two-way concrete bridge will replace a former hanging bridge that collapsed years ago due to frequent heavy rains, leaving students with no choice but to risk crossing the river. Their predicament came into light after Gideon Goc-ong, principal of Pisompongan Integrated School took photos showing children being carried by their parents, wading through waist-deep, fast-flowing river water to get into their classrooms. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had vowed in his State of the Nation Address that the government would construct a bridge in Midsalip town. /