The long wait is finally over for the residents of seven barangays in San Antonio, Quezon as the groundbreaking and contract signing for the construction of San Jose to Del Valle farm-to-market road (FMR) was held on March 21.

A 9.63-kilometer road, this is one of the first subproject proposals submitted to the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).  The P98 million-worth FMR will pave existing dirt roads connecting the barangays of Sinturisan, Briones, Callejon, Magsaysay, Del Valle, and San Jose.

“Nakakasigurado po ang mga taga-San Antonio na tuloy na tuloy na itong pagpapagawa natin ng kalsada. Wala nang makakahadlang dito. Kaya naman hinihiling ko sa inyo na bantayang mabuti ang proyektong ito dahil kayo rin ang makikinabang dito (We assure you that this project will push through. Nothing can stop this. I just want to ask for your help in monitoring this project, because you are the one who will benefit from it),” PRDP CALABARZON Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) Director Arnel De Mesa said during the ceremony, which was also attended by PRDP South Luzon PSO Director Shandy Hubilla.

The groundbreaking rite for San Antonio FMR was led by Mayor Erick Wagan (5th from left) together with (from left most) Vice-mayor Jay Vesiño, South Luzon PSO Director Shandy Hubilla and CALABARZON RPCO Director Arnel De Mesa.

For San Antonio Mayor Erick Wagan, the said event addressed the speculations on whether the subproject will push through. “Kaya po natagalan, dahil sa PRDP hindi p’wede na ‘p’wede lang’. Hindi p’wede na may kulang pa (It took a long while [for the subproject to start], because PRDP does not settle for mediocre plans. It does not proceed with unaddressed concerns),” he said.

Mayor Wagan also showcased how the town’s constituents showed their support for the infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject of PRDP. Instead of using loan to provide the needed 10 percent fund counterpart for the project, the town and its 20 barangays were able to collect the needed amount in two years through the correct payment of taxes.

The ceremony also served as a venue for the recognition of the 107 landowners who donated a total of three hectares for the road’s right-of-way. One of the donors shared that they will also benefit from the road.

Land donors, farmer beneficiaries, and barangay officials provided testimonies and aspirations on the construction of the FMR. Francisco Atienza, one of the donors from Brgy. Briones, said, “Kapag natapos na itong kalsada, p’wede na akong bumili ng sasakyan (When the road construction is completed, I can finally buy a vehicle).”

The Municipality of San Antonio, represented by Mayor Wagan, and the NVSM Construction and Development Corporation signed the contract of works for the San Jose to Del Valle FMR subproject. Residents within the subproject site also witnessed the contract signing.

Members of the municipal local government unit, barangay chairpersons, and representatives of the contractor also participated in the pre-construction conference held at the municipal hall. The contractor  presented the construction methods that they will employ, while resource speakers from the PRDP South Luzon PSO and CALABARZON RPCO explained the different activities to be conducted for the subproject. ### (Lawrence Albert A. Bariring, CALABARZON RPCO InfoACE Unit)