The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has successfully erected four slope protection structures, enhancing the safety and convenience of travel to the elevated barangays in Leon, Iloilo.
DPWH Region 6 OIC-Director, Sanny Boy O. Oropel, highlighted that these structures, strategically placed along the Junction Bancal-Leon-Antique Boundary Road across several barangays in Leon, play a pivotal role in preventing the degradation, cracking, and collapse of slopes resulting from rain-induced scouring or weathering.
Implemented by the DPWH Iloilo 4th District Engineering Office, the project comprises four distinct segments: an 80-meter stretch in Sitio Tabionan within Barangay Bucari, a 100-meter stretch in Barangay Tagsing, and two additional 100-meter segments in Barangay Maliao.
These infrastructure enhancements now expedite the seamless delivery of crucial services to isolated communities and facilitate the unobstructed transportation of agricultural produce from the highland villages of Leon and Alimodian to the marketplace.
In addition to safeguarding local residents against potential rockfalls, landslides, and soil erosion, these structures also ensure the security of tourists journeying to destinations like the Bucari Pine Forest and other attractions in the neighboring Alimodian town, including Imoy Falls and Seven Cities.
The scope of the projects encompass the installation of high-tensile wire mesh and the construction of concrete slope protection structures featuring stone masonry, concrete shoulders, lined canals, and metal guardrails for added safety. The entirety of these efforts amounted to P319.1 million and were funded through the 2022 General Appropriations Act. (B. Cuaresma/ai/mnm)
