The Philippine Army has built a PHP6.17-million hanging bridge to provide access to five communities previously affected by decades of clashes between government forces and the New People's Army (NPA) rebels in San Jorge, Samar. Before the completion of the bridge in Buenavista village, the five communities were accessible via a two-to-four-hour hike, prompting the military to prioritize the bridge project of the local task force to end local communist armed conflict, the Philippine Army said. 'Despite the current situation, the locals opted to live in these far-flung areas since farming is their only means of livelihood,' it said in a statement Friday. The five recipient villages of San Jorge town are Matalud, Gayundato, Cabugao, Libertad, and Cagtoto-og. 'The project aims to re-connect the upland communities to the town center in order to improve the general well-being of the people in terms of trade, education, health, and other human development and socio-economic activities. The communities will als o develop to be resilient to terrorism and conflict,' the statement added. The project is primarily funded by the Philippine Army Finance Center Producers Integrated Cooperative with support from the Samar provincial government, Army engineers, and various Army units on Samar Island. The project started in November 2023 and was officially completed on April 30, 2024. The 8th Civil Military Operations Battalion proposed the project in December 2021 to uplift the living conditions of the five villages and to prevent the NPA from attempting to recover the communities. Named after American soldier George Curn, San Jorge is a 4th-class town located 145 kilometers north of Tacloban. (PNA) Source: Philippines News Agency
