NEW ROAD. The newly-opened section of Mahaplag-Hilongos Road in the southern part of Leyte province. The ongoing construction of the road project that connects the towns of Mahaplag and Hilongos is seen as a big boost in the government’s drive against New People’s Army, Baybay City Mayor Jose Carlos Cari said on Thursday (September 5, 2019). (Photo courtesy of Emmanuel Saligue)
BAYBAY CITY, Leyte -- The ongoing construction of a road project that connects the towns of Mahaplag and Hilongos is seen as a big boost in the government’s drive against New People’s Army (NPA).
Baybay City Mayor Jose Carlos Cari, the proponent of the project during his stint as Leyte 5th district representative from 2010 to 2019, said in an interview Thursday the road, once completed, will drive away all NPA fighters in Leyte.
The Philippine Army confirmed that the remaining 15 armed rebels in Leyte have been hiding in the mountain areas between Mahaplag and Hilongos towns.
“The road will not just be providing better accessibility, but it will also help our Philippine Army completely address the insurgency problem since villages covered by the road project are critical areas,” Cari said in an interview.
The ongoing road project traverse upland communities of Mahaplag, Hindang, and Hilongos towns. Construction started in 2017 under the central government’s "Build, Build, Build" program and is up for completion in 2022.
Once fully completed, the 48.22-kilometer road, stretching from San Isidro village in Mahaplag town to San Roque in Hilongos town, will serve as an alternate route from Tacloban City to Hilongos town and Maasin City in Southern Leyte.
It is expected to reduce travel time from three hours and 22 minutes to just two hours and 50 minutes, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The DPWH regional offices reported that about PHP400 million have been released for the project from 2017 to 2018. For this year, the DPWH has included in its regular funds the PHP300-million requirement for the new road.
Among the project’s recipients are residents of San Antonio village in Hilongos town where a village chief was brutally killed by NPA members two weeks ago. They accused the village chief as “an active member of the Barangay (village) Intelligence Network" and an organized military asset.
“Hopefully, once this is completed, these villages will no longer be called as critical areas,” Cari added.
According to the military, there are only 15 remaining NPA fighters who have been hiding in the upland areas of the 5th district of Leyte following intensified combat operations in central Leyte and northwestern side of the island.
The NPA, which has been waging a five-decade armed struggle against the government, is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. (PNA)
