BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Dantay-Sagada Road,  particularly along the Poblacion area, should be free from obstructions to make it more tourist-friendly and safe for all pedestrians.

This was reported by Public Works and Highways Gender and Development (GAD) representative Cecil Lucio to Mayor Eduard Latawan after assessing the road last Sept. 3.

Lucio said the road should not be used as a parking area. “Since the Dantay-Sagada Road was converted to a national road, we hope the local government of Sagada would comply with existing laws, rules, and regulations of the government on road-right-of-way,” Lucio said.

She said using national roads as parking areas is a violation of Presidential Decree 17 Section 23 of the Revised Highway Act of the Philippines.

Assessment of road line include rating of items under DPWH responsibility which include provision of pedestrian lanes along with six other factors to determine the road line’s compliance to GAD requirements.

Pedestrian areas are classified as safe lanes with visible signages and markings and free from any obstructions.

The  GAD approach is a way of determining how to structure development projects and programs based on analysis of gender relationships.