The Regional Development Council in Western Visayas (RDC 6) will give priority to the construction of the Iloilo-Guimaras bridge to prevent similar drowning accidents like that of the Aug. 3 multiple boat mishaps, which claimed 31 lives.
Antique Governor Rhodora J. Cadiao said in an interview Tuesday that as the newly-reappointed chairperson of the RDC 6, she will work out for the council to prioritize the endorsement of the construction of the Iloilo-Guimaras bridge.
“The Iloilo-Guimaras bridge project will be given priority because of the deaths of the boat passengers due to drowning,” she said.
Last Aug. 3, three passenger boats capsized along the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait with 31 people perished.
Cadiao said although the proposal for the construction of the Iloilo-Guimaras bridge had long been there, the project has to undergo a lengthy process in relation to the design and construction – pre-feasibility and feasibility — given its magnitude.
The RDC6 will endorse the major project to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board for funding by the national government.
Cadiao said her reappointment as RDC 6 chairperson came as a surprise since it was her who nominated Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr. to be the next RDC 6 chairman. “I really apologize to Iloilo Governor Defensor, Jr.,” she said.
She said her name though was submitted with that of Defensor because NEDA Regional Office 6 needed two nominees.
She committed to doing her best as the RDC 6 chairperson again to stand up with the trust and confidence given her by President Rodrigo R. Duterte who reappointed her as RDC 6 chair. (By Annabel Consuelo Petinglay, PNA)
