September 10, 2011. SunStar

 

DAGUPAN CITY —- A board member of Pangasinan has revived an old proposal for the construction of a highway from Barangay Carmen in Rosales, Pangasinan, all the way to Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya passing through the old Villaverde Trail that was carved out during World War II.

Sixth District Provincial Board Member Ranjit Ramos Shahani outlined the project as one of the highways to be built in Pangasinan under a consortium to be organized by several companies through the Public-Private Partnership concept.

Speaking during Wednesday’s Media in Action Forum of the Pangasinan Press Club (PPC) here, Shahani said the old Villaverde Trail was the route taken by the United States Armed Forces in the Far East when they chased the retreating Japanese forces towards the end of World War II during the liberation of Luzon.

Shahani said the new highway was proposed way back during the administration of former President Fidel V. Ramos as a shorter route from Pangasinan to the Cagayan Valley, passing the historic Dalton Pass in Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya.

Incidentally, according to Shahani, the Maharlika Highway is now being built from San Jose del Monte in Bulacan all the way to Cagayan, perpendicular to the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX).

With the anticipated benefits of the proposed highway from Pangasinan to Nueva Vizcaya, the project is set to be recommended by Shahani to be included in the Pangasinan development agenda from 2011 to 2016 for endorsement by the Regional Development Council (RDC).

He said the project does not need Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) since it will be endorsed to be funded by a consortium of several businesses, like those backing the construction of TPLEx.

Shahani is optimistic that once the new highway is in place, the town of Rosales could boom and become the fifth city in the province of Pangasinan.

He said the proposed highway will also explore the potentials of Malico, a mountain barangay in San Nicolas, Pangasinan, which has a weather similar to Baguio’s and could be developed as an alternative summer capital of the Philippines.

“With a boundary dispute between San Nicolas, Pangasinan and Sta. Fe, Nueva Vizcaya still unresolved, we can devise an acceptable scheme so that Barangays Malico and Imugan, Sta. Fe along the Villaverde Trail can be developed jointly by the provinces of Pangasinan and Nueva Vizcaya,” Shahani added.

The new highway that will be built, he said, can attract foreign investors who can put up mountain resorts, similar to Camp John Hay in Baguio, where tourists can make a visit year-round.

He said the area is still teeming with wild flora and fauna, making it ideal for eco-tourism and adventure tours.