Local government officials of Davao del Norte are gearing up to take advantage of a much vibrant economy that the Talaingod-Bukidnon Road will open up after its completion.

Provincial Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario wants indigenous communities in Talaingod to learn how to turn their lands into productive plantations of agricultural products.

“We must educate our lumads and make them productive,” he told the media during the 2009 Kadagayaan Festival which is part of the week-long celebration of the 42nd Araw ng Davao del Norte.

Like the Igorots in Benguet who are producing fresh vegetables to mega Manila, the Ata-Manobo of Talaingod should also be doing the same because the Talaingod-Bukidnon Road is expected to trigger increased trade and tourism, del Rosario said.

The P1.5 billion Talaingod-Bukidnon Road is a 58-kilometer mega infrastructure project of the national government that is expected to spur economic activities between the two provinces particularly along the areas it traverses.

It is considered as an important section of the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway traversing Butuan City to Davao City and that of the Sayre Highway along Valencia City in Bukidnon going to Cagayan de Oro City.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) sees it as a key alternate road when major incidents would cause road bottlenecks along Sayre and Phil-Japan Friendship highways.

Travelers would also be able to save two and a half hours in going to Cagayan de Oro City from Davao City and vice versa, should they take the Talaingod-Bukidnon Road, much lesser than the time they spend traveling through Davao-Calinan-Bukidnon Road.

As Talaingod-Bukidnon Road will lead travelers to Tagum City where it traverses to Davao City, the city government of Tagum is eyeing to buy a lot along Canocotan Road where it can build a stop-over passenger terminal.

Tagum City Vice Mayor Allan Rellon in an interview, revealed plans of Tagum City Mayor Rey T. Uy to put up a stop-over terminal along Canocotan Road, where buses from Davao City en route to Cagayan de Oro and vice versa taking the Talaingod-Bukidnon Road, would pass.

Rellon said Uy bared his vision for the city to have stop-over terminal in Canocotan to members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod in a recent legislative-executive meeting.

The City Council has yet to consider moves of acquiring a lot in Canocotan but he said he appreciated Mayor Uy’s vision which calls for a pro-active move that would bring in economic benefits for the city and its people. (PIA XI/JMDA)

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