PORACQUEÑOS: THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

By: Zainab Chohan and Stephanie Sanchez

Poraqueño commuters walk past the narrow bridge to ride the transfer jeep going to Angeles City | Photo by: Jherese Mendoza

PORAC, PAMPANGA—For three months now, Poracqueños suffer from the awful smell of poultries, piggeries, and livestock feeds corporation housed in the alternate route at EDSAN Farm due to the prolonged reconstruction of bridges in the place.

The dusty and bumpy road of the re-route also reckons to the everyday struggle of Poracqueños when traveling to Angeles City. The alternative route adds another 25 minutes to the people’s travel time instead of the usual 10 minutes from the EDSAN bridge.

“Mal-late ku pu kasi anang karanun ing class ku. Maranun naku pu mamako kekami kasu pu kasi ketang detour dakal ya pasikut-sikut, lalambat pa lalu,” as stated by Shainah Miclat, a first year college student and a regular commuter, when asked about how this issue affects her.

The nationwide road-widening and reconstruction of bridges which started in 2013 under Republic Act No. 917 continues. The Señura-EDSAN Bridge near theNew Porac Cockpit Arena and the Sta. Cruz Bridge are currently undergoing the reconstruction and widening. Their construction started last October 2018 and are expected to be done by December 2018, but are still ongoing in the present time.

In an interview with Hon. Ana M. Reyes, the Barangay Captain of Sta. Cruz, the completion date of the bridges was moved because of the delayed materials and was affected by the issue with the previous contractors of the Señura-EDSAN Bridge.

The two bridges are expected to be safely traveled by the end of February 2019.