Monday, April 04, 2016
By ERWIN P. NICAVERA
BUSINESS groups in Negros Occidental have raised concerns over non-operational street lights at the Bacolod-Silay Airport Access Road as it may negatively impact the local business industry.
Frank Carbon, regional governor of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in Western Visayas and Negros Occidental, said the group has already brought the matter to the attention of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Negros Island Region (DPWH-18) during a recent meeting with its head, Lea Delfinado.
Carbon said that according to Delfinado, there were budget constraints.
“DPWH needs about P3 million to permanently light both sides of the roads from Bacolod to Silay,” he said.
Power, like water, is a vital infrastructure support project and the government should prioritize it, said the PCCI-Western Visayas president.
Carbon pointed out that the airport serves as the tourism gateway of the province, and lighting the roads toward it should be a priority.
The access road also lessens traffic congestion in key cities, he said, pointing out that safety and security in the area was vital in encouraging and maintaining business growth in the province.
He pointed out that a number of stoning incidents have been recorded in the area recently.
In response to the request of the business sector, Carbon said DPWH, through the assistance of the Central Negros Electric Cooperative (Ceneco), has started lighting the street lights on one side of the access road, from Bacolod to Silay, last week.
The agency has temporarily tapped power connections through the traffic lights, he added.
“The business sector lauds the effort made by DPWH and Ceneco,” Carbon said,
“but we hope that the problem will be addressed permanently.”
