Capitol’s New Heavy Equipment to Hasten Road Improvements, Disaster Response

With the Cebu Provincial Government’s purchase of a new set of heavy equipment, Cebuanos can now expect faster road improvements and quicker clearing operations in times of calamities.

This, after Gov. Hilario P. Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Mapale, together with the majority of the Provincial Board, led the blessing ceremony of the new heavy equipment on Friday, April 20, at the Capitol motor pool compound on M. Velez St., Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City.

“We have long been wanting for this heavy equipment. This has been one of the clamors of our constituents, our public officials in the municipalities and cities, so it can aid them in the repair of barangay roads, for example. This equipment shall be of big help to them,” said Davide.

Also present during the ceremony were Capitol executives and mayors from various towns.

The governor said that the purchase of the heavy vehicles was delayed for a year because he wanted the process for their acquisition to be transparent.

“This is by far the biggest purchase of heavy and light equipment,” said Davide.

Disaster readiness and infrastructure development are among the paramount priorities of the Davide administration under his 6-Key Development Agenda.

He said that the last two purchases were made by the previous administrations–a mini-dump truck in 2011 and two units of backhoe in 2001.

Magpale, for her part, lauded the PB for doing its best in scrutinizing the purchase to ensure that the documents were in order.

“As the presiding officer, I did my best to be transparent. We, in the PB, know how important this heavy equipment is for our constituents,” she said.

Both Davide and Magpale thanked the PB members for supporting the project.

The new set of equipment with an accumulated amount of P227,385,350 consists of three units of hydraulic excavator (P9.9 million each), two crawler tractor (P21.6 million each), two wheel loader (P14.4 million each), two motor grader (P14.85 million each), two vibratory roller (P5.8479 million each), forklift (P2.75225 million each), manlift (P12,599,750), two self-loaders (P5,847,900), nine dump trucks (P4,661,150 each), water truck (P6,302,400), and two boom trucks (P4,494,500 each).

The equipment was acquired through a loan from the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

The Landbank offered the Capitol a term payment of five years, but Davide told the bank that the Capitol may settle the loan in two or three years since the Provincial Government is “very liquid.” (Liquid is a financial term referring to having sufficient cash to accommodate any and all its financial obligations.)

At least 157 provincial roads are expected to be rehabilitated and improved using the new equipment, said Davide.

The governor said that most of these roads are situated in Carcar, a fifth income class component city in the province.

Carcar City has 12 provincial roads with some pavement need improvements while the other roads need fixing.

In November last year, some of the newly-purchased hydraulic vehicles were used to open a diversion road in Barangay Lower Becerril, Boljoon town, south Cebu. The clearing operation was in response to the series of soil crashes that occurred along the 15-kilometer long Becerril-Nug-as Road.

Eilyn Sestoso, 35, a resident of Lower Becerril for the past 17 years, expressed her gratitude to the Capitol.
“I am very grateful to the Cebu Provincial Government through Gov. Hilario Davide III and Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, and Boljoon Mayor Merlou Derama for allowing us to use the backhoe. Now we have improved road accessibility and we are safer, unlike before,” said Sestoso.

Boljoon Municipal Engr. Fulgencio Adaro also thanked the Provincial Government for dispatching the backhoe digger during the typhoon Agaton last January.

“Dako ning tabang namo oy. Hangtud karon naa pa man gani kay naa mi karon gi-kabkab kay naay tendency nga mo landslide ba going to the eskwelahan,” said Adaro.

The heavy equipment was also used in opening a road in Danao City and Tuburan town to provide access to a known tourist destination in the highlands.

Provincial Engr. Hector Jamora said that the purchase of the equipment meant bigger savings for the Capitol.
“We spend around P3,000 a day for equipment rental. Based on our computations, spending an average of P3,000 a day in a span of one year is equivalent to purchasing three heavy equipment,” said Jamora.

Except for disaster-related response, Jamora, explained that there are guidelines to be observed by the local government units (LGUs) who wish to borrow the equipment for their road rehabilitation projects. These include an approved resolution by the town or city’s sanggunian. / Oscar Pineda, Kelvin Canizares, Korinna Lucero, Jethro Bacolod