The long-hyped 128.164-kms. Kapalong-Talaingod-Valencia, Bukidnon road is now passable! And it’s about 99% percent concrete now!
Over the weekend a lawyer and his family from Nabunturan, Compostela Valley crossed the road riding their forward car and they exclaimed they conquered the route.
Atty. Carlo Ancla posted on his Facebook a video of their travel up down the road that has not yet been officially celebrated by the government as one that is finally completed.
The lawyer however said “it’s almost cemented” in reply to queries from among his Facebook friends.
When they were already up in Barangay Gumitan in Kapalong town, Davao del Norte he posted: “(They) just passed Pantoran Forest Range. Some say it’s the Sierra Madre of Mindanao. It’s vast forest range stretches in four provinces- Agusan del Sur, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte and Bukidnon. We conquered it via Kapalong-Talaingod-Valencia route, surely shortening travel route from Comval to Bukidnon-Cagayan. You can save 60 kms.”
Atty. Carlo reckoned he did take 165 kms. of travel from Tagum City to Valencia.
His wife Jo-Anne Tan Ancla commented that the short cut road can afford one from Nabunturan town to go daily for only three hours of travel to the famous Dahilayan Forest Park Resort in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.
The couple with two friends in tow were going to their rest house in the scenic mountain resort full of rest houses and fine trees in the place the locals call as “Epol” in Barangay Lorega, Kitaotao, Bukidnon.
They cut in half their time with their “conquering” of the new route of Kapalong-Talaingod-Valencia road as in the past they motored via Buda, Davao City consuming at least 6 hours of travel.
The lawyer however advised friends to take the road starting early in the morning and be fully equipped for possible travel hitches like having machine trouble or flat tire.
It’s still drab traveling there with you seeing the abundant forest and foliage and least sights of human settlement.
So if one travels to Cagayan de Oro City from Nabunturan now using the Kapalong-Talaingod-Valencia road, he can only take for about 6 hours, shorter than having about 12 hours, taking straight the Nabunturan-Davao City-Buda-CDO route or 8 hours taking the Nabunturan-Butuan City-CDO route. Wow!
The long road project started with a groundbreaking in Feb. 2008 during the time of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but construction started in 2011 with the release of the first tranche of its P3.516 billion budget as planned.
This long road is a product of joint efforts of two DPWH regional offices- DPWH 11and DPWH 10, each of which concreted their respective roads meeting halfway at the border of two provinces. Region 11 side has 57.63 kms., while Region 10 has 70.534 kms. (Rural Urban News/Cha Monforte)
—
