CITING the need to decongest traffic in going to and from the lakeshore towns of Rizal and eastern Metro Manila, the national government is pouring in a whopping P200 million to cover the first phase of the coastal highway, Taytay Mayor Joric Gacula announced.
Referred to as the Taytay-Angono Coastal Road, Gacula said that the project is seen to significantly decongest traffic in the major arteries of the densely populated Taytay town and cut the travel time to just 8 minutes from the coastal road to Ortigas Center in Pasig City.
In a statement, Gacula hinted at the four-lane coastal road project as an offshoot of the combined efforts of Senator Bong Go, Rizal 1st District Rep. Jack Duavit and Presidential Adviser for Southern Tagalog Region Secretary Casimiro Ynares Jr., “who have been closely working for the much-anticipated infrastructure seen to further boost the economy of the lakeshore municipalities of Taytay, Angono and Binangonan.”
The Taytay local chief executive even had the announcement posted on his personal Facebook account. The post reads:
“Maraming Salamat po President Duterte, Sen. Bong Go, Gov. Ito Ynares, Cong. Duavit, former Antipolo City Mayor Jun Ynares at DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) sa bagong gagawin na P200-million Taytay-Angono Lakeshore Highway. Ito ay magmula sa Floodway Taytay at lalabas sa may Baytown sa Angono. Malaking kabawasan po ito sa dami ng sasakyan mula sa ibang bayan ng Rizal na dumadaan sa masikip na daan sa Bangiad at sa Manggahan floodway.”
Relatedly, Ferdinand Manakil, district engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways – Rizal 1st Engineering District, confirmed that the President has indeed given the green light for the release of funds covering phase one of the lakeshore highway.
In a phone interview, Manakil said that the national government has initially allotted P200 million if only to make sure that the project starts soon.
“Yes, the President has approved the project. In fact, we’re already working round the clock to get the project started in the soonest possible time and wrap it up in two to three to five years,” said Manakil, referring to the four-lane wide and seven kilometer stretch of the coastal highway.
Phase 2 of the coastal highway project stretches the access road to Binangonan town, he added.
Interestingly, the coastal road is the second major infrastructure encompassing Taytay town. It was in early February when the DPWH announced the resumption of actual construction of the Circumferential Road – 6, an elevated highway linking Cavite and Bulacan via Taytay, Antipolo and San Mateo, all in Rizal Province.
“We’ve been reaping the fruits of our fervent prayer, persistence and hard work. There is nowhere else to go for Taytay but up,” Gacula quipped.
Taytay is known as the Garments Capital of the Philippines.
(Photo credit: Mayor Joric Gacula Facebook page)