P200-M heavy equipment set for distribution in DavSur LGUs

DAVAO CITY, Feb. 02 (PIA) – The provincial government of Davao del Sur is set to distribute this year new sets of heavy equipment worth close to P200 million to clustered towns in the province including Davao Occidental to address demands for infrastructure and public works .

The equipment have already been purchased last year and will be put in place in cluster areas identified by the provincial government, bared Marivic Hubac, executive assistant to Governor Claude Bautista.

Hubac said the sets of construction machineries include eight dump trucks, two bulldozers, four backhoes, four steamrollers, one prime mover, three stock trucks, two personnel carriers and two graders.

Six pick up vehicles worth P230 million are also up for distribution this year, she told the Philippine Information Agency (PIA-XI).

One set of these equipments will be placed in each cluster center to service neighboring municipalities, she added.

For Digos City, Sta. Cruz, Padada and Hagonoy towns, Digos City is the cluster area, while Bansalan will be the hub for Matanao and Magsaysay.

In Kiblawan-Sulop-Malalag cluster, Sulop will be the center, while Malita town will service other Davao Occidental municipalities such as Sta. Maria, Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos and Sarangani.

Hubac said the equipments will support infrastructure needs in agriculture, education, local governance and disaster risk reduction program.

She said most of the infrastructure demands include farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, water systems, classroom buildings, day care centers, barangay halls, among others.

Construction of school gymnasiums is also lined up for implementation this year, which Hubac said would be designed for evacuation centers in time for disasters.

“We’re considering this because almost all barangays in the province are disaster prone. We have to be prepared at all times,” Hubac stated.

She said the education needs of classroom buildings and gymnasiums were identified during consultation meetings with teachers in the municipalities and barangays.

The infrastructure projects are part of the main programs of Davao del Sur provincial government up to 2016. Other focal programs are education, health and agriculture. (PIA-11/Carina L. Cayon)