LEGAZPI CITY: The Aquino administration infused P3.1 billion funds for two priority projects in Bicol specifically in Albay province that would induce robust development in the countryside.

The two projects of the Aquino government in Albay province are the P1.142 billion budget for the construction of 43-kilometer highway to connect the west coast road network covering the towns of Pioduran and Libon in Albay before the opening of Bicol International Airport here with the total cost of P3.107 billion.

This is the second biggest project in Albay province under the helm of President Aquino, a classmate and political ally of Governor Joey Salceda, concurrent chairman of Regional Development Council in Bicol.

President Aquino earlier released through the Department of Transportation and Communication and Department of Public Works and Highways at least P1.965 billion for the construction of Bicol International Airport.

Aquino ordered the DOTC to expedite the construction of Bicol International Airport in Alobo village, Daraga in Albay to cater to the number of booming tourists and push for robust economic growth in the countryside.

The government through the Investment Coordination Committee (ICC) – Cabinet Committee has recently given the green light for the implementation of the Albay West Coast Road, a vital 43-kilometer highway connecting the port towns of Pioduran and Libon.

This project is considered as pivotal link to the growth of Albay west coast and adjacent areas of the Bicol Region wherein the project is programmed for construction from 2014 to 2017

The ICC-Cabinet Committee is a government body tasked to assess and review the fiscal, monetary and balance of payments implications of major capital projects in the country.

The project will be funded by a P1.142 billion grant from the government of South Korea. The West Coast Road is an ambitious venture designed to open up Albay’s poverty stricken but potentially rich areas of the province.

Salceda said the project aims to provide better and efficient market access for isolated western coastal barangays of Albay, especially for perishable marine products. Pioduran town is being groomed as Bicol’s regional fish port while Libon is envisioned to become an international seaport.

The governor noted with gratification South Korea’s growing interest in key development projects in the Philippines, particularly Albay which has an official economic partnership agreement with the Metropolitan City of Incheon.

The partnership, according to Salceda, may have helped in sourcing funds for the Albay West Coast Road. Salceda is presently International Economic Advisor of the Incheon Metropolitan Authority.

The coastal road project is a major component of Albay Rising, a vast economic growth strategy designed by Salceda when he assumed its governorship in 2007. The strategy includes, among others the 2015 completion of the P3.4 billion Southern Luzon International Airport and the robust tourism flow expected to follow suit.

The project was approved by the ICC-technical Board in 2010 before it went through the scrutiny of the ICC-Cabinet Committee, composed of the heads of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and the Departments of Finance (DOF) and Budget and Management (DBM), among others.

Salceda said the budget strategy and fund release schedule for the project are as follows: P56 million will be released in 2014; P328 million in 2015; P427 million in 2016; and P331 million in 2017.