The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will implement some PHP273-million worth of various projects inside the Fort Magsaysay in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.

DPWH Regional Director Roseller Tolentino, in a statement, said the construction of the 7th Infantry Division (7ID) headquarters and various military facilities are funded under the Department of National Defense–Department of Public Works and Highways (DND-DPWH) Convergence Program, also known as the Tatag ng Imprastraktura para sa Kapayapaan at Seguridad (TIKAS)”.

The TIKAS program was initiated for the mutual benefit of the two agencies wherein the DND can mount projects with the DPWH while the DND shall safeguard DPWH projects in conflict areas.

The convergence projects are bannered by the construction of a PHP65-million hangar at the Philippine Army Aviation Regiment.

A PHP42-million 7ID headquarters building, PHP40-million transient facility at the Light Reaction Regiment, enlisted personnel barracks at the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) and two-story Administration Building amounting to PHP20 million each will also be constructed.

Tolentino said the Nueva Ecija 2nd District Engineering, the lead overseer of the projects’ implementation, has also allocated PHP85-million to concretize the military installation’s 7.261-kilometer road from the Light Reaction Regiment/Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) camps leading to the Molave Complex.

Citing the vital role of military forces for the country’s security, Tolentino said that the construction of the said facilities will reinforce their operations, and will boost the morale of the troops.

“These projects are vital since military assets such as infrastructure facilities must be implemented to complement the envisioned modernization of the military,” he said.

Also under the DND-DPWH convergence projects are the ongoing construction of infrastructure facilities inside Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar, in his earlier visit to Camp Tecson, said the projects are part of the government’s effort to modernize the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) of the Philippine Army Special Operations Command, a unit specializing in anti-guerrilla jungle warfare, raids, ambushes, close-quarters combat, urban warfare and sabotage.

Once completed, the infrastructure projects are expected to enhance the capability of the military, particularly in their peace and development efforts in Central Luzon. (PNA)