SAN CARLOS-AGUILAR ACCESS

SAN CARLOS CITY— After waiting for four years, the residents of the city and Aguilar town can finally have easy access to either side with the opening of the Bocboc Bridge by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to traffic.

Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo and 3rd district Rep. Rose Marie Arenas do the honors with a drive-thru. (Tita Roces)

Former Rep. Rachel Arenas who, with her mother, Third District Rep. Baby Arenas, initiated the project with funds sourced from the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), were on hand for the inauguration of the bridge.

Daughter Rachel credited her mother Baby for helping her complete the project “It took one Baby Arenas to have this project come true,” she said.

For her part, Cong. Baby Arenas said the completion of the bridge was their way of reciprocating “San Carlenians overwhelming love,” as manifested in the last elections.

The construction of the bridge was tagged as a tourism project because it is the shortest route going to Manleluag Hot Spring and Hundred Islands in Alaminos City for those coming from the central part of Pangasinan.

Presidential Legal Adviser Salvador Panelo, the special guest, was joined by several congressmen across the country in simple inauguration rites in time for the young Arenas’ birthday.

Others in attendance were DPWH Region 1 Assistant Regional Director Ronnel Tan, Acting PNP Provincial Director Ronald Oliver Lee, San Carlos City Vice Mayor Julier Resuello.

According to the young Arenas, the idea to construct the Bocboc Bridge was pursued in 2007 to ease the travel of residents from both sides in crossing the river through bancas when the wooden bridge was destroyed by a typhoon. The project was only started in 2012 with funding from the national government.

According to Assistant Region 1 Director Ronnel Tan of DPWH Region 1, the bridge is about 280 linear meters long with eight spans at 35 meters per span, 7.32 meters wide that cost P234-million but the contract amount was only for P195-million.

And an additional of P12 million fund will be released in 2017 to complete the concreting of the approach in the Aguilar side.

The Aguilar side is still rough but passable to all types of vehicles, Tan said.

He said the implementation was delayed due to project variation in Aguilar side. (Tita Roces/Nora Dominguez)

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