NAGA CITY---With the absence of a road linking the newly constructed multimillion-peso Mabulo bypass bridge here, a prelate and town dads had pushed for the construction of a 1.6-kilometer bypass road for the bridge to function as an alternate route to this city and its neighboring towns.

        Archbishop Leonardo Z. Legazpi of the Archdiocese of Caceres, in a letter addressed to Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), expressed concern “that the admirable objectives of said Mabulo By-pass Bridge will not be fully achieved if the Milaor Diversion Road component of said bridge will not be implemented.”

        In the same spirit, the Sangguniang Bayan of Gainza passed two resolutions asking the DPWH to construct the bypass road starting after the bridge approach at the junction of Mabulo-Gainza provincial road in Sabang, Naga City and ending at San Jose, Milaor, Camarines Sur.

        The New Mabulo Bypass Bridge was constructed in 2001 at the tune of P145,833,788.35, however, the purpose of which the bridge was constructed was not attained due to the non-construction of the road component from Milaor-Naga Road crossing the Gainza-Naga Road, according to an audit report of Aristoteles P. Ilarde, supervising auditor of the Commission on Audit.

        In the same report, Ilarde pointed out that the bypass bridge will decongest traffic at the New Mabulo Bridge to improve the flow of goods and services and reducing the concentration of transport vehicles along the Naga Central Business District.

        “It will pave the way for the socioeconomic development of the other municipalities which are part of the Metro Naga area, specifically Gainza and Camaligan, which will be transformed as expansion areas for Naga City’s land-space requirements,” it added.

         Ilarde’s report said that “had the road component was constructed the New Mabulo Bypass Bridge could had been in its full capacity and congestion of traffic in the corners of Gainza-Naga Road could had been avoided.”

        Early this year, Ebdane has requested Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya the release of funds in the amount of P4.18 million for the preliminary detailed engineering of the bypass road to be charged against the P338 million allocation for detailed engineering under the so-called “Other Road Projects in the MTPIP”.

        The construction of the bypass road has been endorsed by Second District Congressman Luis R. Villafuerte as he requested for the urgent allocation and release of funds needed for the conduct of the detailed engineering design.

        Congressman Diosdado Macapagal Arroyo, first district representative of Camarines Sur, has also endorsed the project to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in which he reiterated that its construction would help decongest traffic, reduce concentration of transport vehicles along Naga City Central Business District and pave the way for socioeconomic development of other neighboring municipalities.

        But Orlando Roces, DPWH Bicol regional director, revealed the project had no budget yet even though he said Ebdane had already requested the Department of Budget and Management to release funds for the construction.