By DJ Yap, Tonette OrejasInquirer Central Luzon, Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:20 am | Monday, January 28th, 2013 Two villages in two different provinces in Southern Luzon are named after the same waterway that separates them: the Umiray River. Soon, a bridge costing nearly half a billion pesos to build will connect Barangay (village) Umiray in Dingalan town in Aurora province to Barangay Umiray in General Nakar town in Quezon province, according to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Philippine and Japanese officials broke ground at the boundaries of the two provinces on Wednesday to mark the start of the construction of the 358-meter, P468-million Umiray Bridge, which would connect not only Aurora and Quezon but also Central Luzon and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon). In a statement from the DAR, Undersecretary for Support Services Jerry Pacturan said the bridge would allow farmers and traders on both sides of the river to transport their goods with ease, spurring rural development, easing poverty and ensuring food security. Residents of the two Umiray villages spend a considerable sum on moving goods across the river. Hauling costs them P50 to P70 and transport by boat costs them P20. But once the bridge is finished by June 2014, the cost will be reduced to P15, Pacturan said. The bridge will be completed in time for the expiration of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Exit project Pacturan said the bridge would be a “fitting graceful exit project for the … social justice program” of Read More …