Senator Dick Gordon called the future opening of a 21-kilometer access road in the province of Bataan a promising step in the strengthening of the local economy.
Gordon, who was invited by the Bataan local government unit (LGU) as the guest of honor in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hermosa Mega Build Project Phase II, praised the project as a pathway to success.
“Magdadala ng connectivity, dadami ang hanapbuhay dito.”
“Magdadala ng connectivity, dadami ang hanapbuhay dito. Magiging attractive ang Bataan at Central Luzon sa development. Dadami ang investors,” the veteran legislator told reporters.
“May bill tayo. May airports tayo, seaports. Gagawan ng developed na lupa. Para kang gumagawa ng subdivision. That is the first part of the investment,” described the seasoned lawmaker of the Regional Investment Coordinating Hub (RICH) bill.
An idea conceptualized in 2018, the Hermosa LGY, together with the Bataan LGU, Department of Public Works and Highways, and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), will build a road that will connect the Hermosa EcoZone with the Clark International Airport and Bataan Techno Park.
The road will start at Brgy. Palihan and will pass through barangays Bacong, Bamban, Maite, Mabiga, Sacrifice Valley, Tipo, before ending at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.
It will directly connect the Hermosa and Tipo economic zones to the SBMA, leading to a quicker and more efficient order of business and accessibility to the general public.
During his keynote address, the senator said that he did not want to miss the opportunity at kicking off the construction of the road.
“Importante ito para sa Central Luzon.”
“Importante ang gagawin natin dito. Importante ito para sa Central Luzon,” continued Gordon, who hails from nearby Olongapo City.
Led by Bataan Governor Albert Garcia, Vice Governor Cris Garcia, and Hermosa Mayor Antonio Joseph “Jopet” Inton, Gordon was wholeheartedly welcomed in the event as a recognition of his efforts in modernizing Bataan into one of the most prosperous provinces in the country.
He was named as an adopted son of Bataan for championing the passage of Republic Act (RA) 9728, which created the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) back in 2009.
AFAB is one of the leading freeports in the country, which employed close to 50,000 workers before the start of the pandemic.
Bataan also signed a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in the early days of the worldwide health emergency to provide mass testing.
Through Gordon’s efforts as PRC volunteer-chairman, he spearheaded the opening of an emergency field hospital in nearby Mariveles, where it has taken in thousands of COVID-19 patients.
