By Mary May A. Abellon
DIPOLOG CITY – The provincial government of Zamboanga del Norte will purchase 25 new heavy equipment to be used in the implementation and construction of infrastructure projects in the province.
The provincial board has recently approved the allocation of P61,305,000 from the P91,305,000 appropriation under the 2014 GeneraL Supplemental Budget No. 1 for the acquisition of said the heavy equipment consisting of 3 bulldozers, 5 six-wheeler dump trucks, 3 back hoes, 1 telescopic crane, 4 road rollers, 1 loader truck, 1 tanker, 4 graders and 3 payloaders.
These will be distributed to the province’s three districts for speedy implementation and completion of all infrastructure projects lined up by the provincial government.
Vice Governor Senen O. Angeles also vouched for the need to procure brand new and high-quality equipment saying, “our existing equipment are old and some are dilapidated and worn-out.”
“The existing heavy equipment are not sufficient since some of these are undergoing repair while the new equipment purchased by the past administration are not serviceable. So, we need additional fleet for each district,” he added.
In a related development, the provincial government is set to give Dipolog City P30-million as financial assistance out of the supplemental budget which comes from the 2013 un-appropriated balance. This will be used in the implementation of the city’s infrastructure projects.
“For ten years, the city has not received anything from the provincial government. Hence, it is high time for the city to receive such an assistance from the provincial government,” Board Member Romulo Soliva said.