P2B for Celeste’s District this year

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

BOLINAO – The First Congressional District beats probably five of its counterpart districts in Pangasinan province with it’s more than P2 billion infrastructure projects this year.

According to Representative Jesus Celeste, the more than P2 billion allocation he got from the national government was appropriated primordially for the construction, improvement, and widening of national highways and bridges in the one city and nine towns’ district.

Other congressional districts in the province have P1.5 billion each allocation from the central government.

REUNITED - First District Representative Jesus ‘Boying’ F. Celeste (right) greets his friend and former colleague in Congress, now Presidential Spokesperson Attorney Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. during the Barangay Night held at the Don Leopoldo Sison Convention Center in Alaminos City. The former Kabayan Partylist representative was the affair’s guest of honor and speaker. Photo Credit: Kitz Basila.

A congressman of another district told Northern Watch Newspaper before that the reason the First Congressional District has continue to get a bigger allocation because its area started to develop while the other congressional districts have almost done their infrastructure projects.

Celeste said some of the monies he got come from various party list groups that all gave P200 million for his district.

The other P250 million he chalked up from the national government was additional fund for the construction of the concrete coastal highway from the towns of Bani and Agno that stretch to this rustic town.

Northern Watch Newspaper learned that the 12 and 20 kilometers highways in Sual and Agno towns are part of the P4 billion package coastal highways while the national road lines for the municipalities of Bani, Burgos, Dasol, and Infanta are in the survey stage.

The coastline highway is seen as stimulus for the district’s economy that primarily caters to tourism.  

Celeste said the central government gave an additional P1 billion for the coastal road.
"Aside from the DPWH, other departments like the D.A, DepEd, and others allocated projects here for this year," he said.

He cited the District Engineer of the Department of Public Works & Highway in Western Pangasinan had just submitted to the DPWH’s national office an P8 billion proposed fund for the various projects in the area for the next year’s national budget.

The sum will be subject for discussion by the executives of the DPWH main office before Congress deliberates it this coming July 2018.

The solon however said that he could not get all the P8 billion because the government have to evaluate first what should be the priority in the district.

He cited that part of the proposal is the P600 million bridge he proposed to be constructed that will connect this town to Santiago Island.

The bridge will also spike the economy of the Island where tourists, for one, could enjoy its white sand.