Following DPWH’s flood control projects
(Serbisyo Publiko News and Information Online)
TACLOBAN CITY – Northern Samar Representative Edwin Ongchuan(2ND district) has urged Congress to transfer the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program (TRIP) back to the Department of Tourism (DoT), saying the shift would ensure better alignment with tourism priorities and reduce implementation problems that have hounded the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Speaking at the House committee on appropriations hearing on September 2, 2025, Ongchuan pressed for stronger funding and policy support for the DoT as Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco presented the agency’s proposed 2026 budget.
“Tourism is one of our strongest engines of job creation and regional growth. But without reliable infrastructure that’s planned and executed to serve tourism needs, we’re holding back our own potential,” the Northern Samar lawmaker said.
The lawmaker noted that while the DPWH currently handles the engineering and construction of tourism-related infrastructure, its track record has been marred by inefficiency and controversies—including alleged corruption and irregularities in flood control projects nationwide.
“Returning the program to the DoT would improve transparency and accountability, and more importantly, ensure that tourism road projects truly match the priorities of the tourism sector,” Ongchuan added.
The Tourism Road Infrastructure Program, launched in 2012, originally operated under a DoT-DPWH convergence setup but has gradually shifted more control to DPWH over the years.
Stakeholders and lawmakers have since raised concerns that projects under DPWH often prioritize roadworks disconnected from actual tourism development plans.
Tourism advocates in Northern Samar say the lack of adequate and well-maintained access roads remains a key barrier to unlocking the province’s potential as an eco-adventure destination. By transferring the TRIP back to the DoT, Ongchuan believes projects will be more targeted, less prone to abuse, and better aligned with the needs of local communities.
“Our goal is to make tourism a real pillar of inclusive growth for Northern Samar and the rest of the country,” Ongchuan said. “That means infrastructure must serve tourism—not the other way around.”
Ongchuan’s advocacy is part of his broader push to strengthen tourism in Northern Samar. He recently filed House Bill No. 605 seeking to declare the Pinusilan Blue Lagoon in Mapanas town an official ecotourism site—an initiative he says could spur local jobs, protect biodiversity, and put the province on the map for sustainable tourism.
JOEY A. GABIETA
