The Lapu-Lapu City Hall. (PNA file photo)
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu – This historical island city wants a separate engineering district of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that will oversee various infrastructure projects here.
Mayor Junard Chan said on Wednesday that he has sought the support of lawmakers from the Cebu province and other areas of the country in the city government’s bid to host an independent DPWH engineering district in order to speed up various public works on the island.
Chan was hopeful that the city would be able to host soon a separate engineering district office as members of the House, led by Speaker Martin Romualdez, have already expressed their support.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the members of the House of Representatives led by House Speaker Martin Romualdez and other congressmen and congresswomen who supported our plan to have a separate engineering district,” Chan told reporters.
Chan said he visited the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Monday to personally witness the third and final reading of this city’s appeal to establish a separate district of the country’s premier public works agency.
This city is the major link of Central Visayas’ big-ticket projects, which include the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and the old Mactan-Mandaue Bridge, apart from the privately-funded Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway linking Cebu City and Cordova town.
The regional office of DPWH has an ongoing study for the construction of the PHP76-billion fourth bridge linking mainland Cebu and Mactan Island which is expected to begin in 2024.
The mayor also said that the city is also appealing to the House of Representatives to grant its wish to secure a seat at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA).
Although Lapu-Lapu City is the host of the region’s premier international airport, it has no representation before the MCIAA’s 11-person Board of Directors. (PNA)
