Govs call for transfer of funds with devolution of national roads

A DEVOLUTION of functions from the national to the local government units should be accompanied by a corresponding transfer of funds.

The League of Provinces of the Philippines has taken a stand on the proposal of the Department of Public Works and Highways to reclassify some national roads to provincial roads.

The league, through its National Executive Board, approved NEB Resolution No. 2004-03 urging the national government to devolve the corresponding funds and resources for the maintenance and improvement of national roads which will be reclassified as provincial roads pursuant to a new classification criteria.

The LPP, under the leadership of Bohol Gov. Erico B. Aumentado and Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis Chavit C. Singson – the league’s national president and chairman, respectively – pointed out that the reclassification will impact on the local government units in terms of maintenance and improvements of the affected national road networks.

A road reclassification study conducted by the DPWH indicated that 10,257 kilometers of national roads to either provincial or city roads.

The LPP, in its resolution, pointed out that “fairness dictates that the devolution of functions should be accompanied by the devolution of funds and resources originally appropriated for this purpose.”

The local chief executives said that the LGUs are not only saddled with numerous duties and responsibilities but are also financially strapped to bear additional expenses like the maintenance and improvements of national roads devolved to them.

Copies of NEB Resolution 2004-003 have been sent to Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Senate Pres. Franklin Drilon and Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.
The technical working group who participated in the DPWH’s road reclassification study has identified at least four issued that need to be addressed. These are: funding for maintenance and improvement, the accurate application of the new criteria, documentation of the right of way, and the responsibility for functional classification and the rules and regulation governing such changes.

The league added a fifth issue, which is the appropriate standards for maintenance. Under the DPWH’s new criteria, roads that connect major cities are classified as national arterial primary roads, while those linking provincial centers, cities to arterial primary roads except in metropolitan areas, major ports and ferry terminals to arterial primary roads, major airports to arterial primary roads, tourist service centers to arterial primary roads, inter-city not categorized as major cities, major national government infrastructure and alternative direct connections between national arterial roads are national arterial secondary roads.

Provincial roads are those which connect cities and municipalities without traversing national roads, national roads to barangays through rural areas and major provincial government infrastructure.

The new classification identified roads within the Poblacion, those that connect to provincial and national roads and those that provide inter-barangay connections to major municipal and city infrastructure without passing through provincial roads are municipal and city roads.

Furthermore, barangay roads are those other public roads officially turned over within the barangays and not covered by any of the three earlier classifications.