• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Occidental 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon III is pushing for the completion of the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway (BANOCEH) Project extension, which will connect Sagay City to Victorias City.
The BANOCEH extension project starts at the highway of Sagay City export processing zone and will connect to Cadiz City, Manapla and Victorias City.
Once it is completed, Marañon said it will decongest traffic along the main highway, shorten travel, and boost the economy of concerned local government units as businesses are expected to sprout along the major road.
The lawmaker said he is hoping that it will be completed by 2029.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allocated a P400-million budget for the BANOCEH extension project.
Marañon said he already asked for an additional budget for 2026 to continue the infrastructure project, which started several years ago.
He admitted that the flood control projects scandal delayed the implementation of national government projects, noting that the bidding usually starts every January.
“Now we are on the third month of the year,” Marañon said, noting that he was informed by a DPWH official that there is no bidding yet for projects to be implemented by the national government.
He pointed out that government infrastructure projects are part of economic activities that provide income to thousands of construction workers and hardware stores, among others.
“There is a need for the government to spend to pump prime the economy. Put money in circulation. That is what we need now,” Marañon said. | GB
