Ramon Magsaysay, Zambo Sur – Better accessibility of the interior barangays here will soon increase the economic and social opportunities as the construction of farm-to-market road (FMR) continues.

The 11.88 kilometers FMR will traverse the five barangays including Gapasan, Laperian, Buenasuerte, Sambulawan and Navalan. This will benefit the 1,847 household or 8,703 direct beneficiaries.

As the project reached 58.73% completion or close to 5 kilometers of concreted road, residents here share significant changes in their transportation experience.

“Our transportation expenses have been lessened. We used to pay P30.00 per sack but now it reduced to P15.00 because of the accessible road,” said Jerry Bartolaba of Brgy. Laperian.

Aside from decreased in transportation cost, Bartolaba added that they can now traverse Laperian to the town center for 15 minutes from the usual 25 to 30 minutes travel time before.

“There’s a huge difference now that there is a concrete road. Before, it took as a long time to transport our rice. During rainy days, vehicles don’t come here because of the difficult road while our products were already waiting to be fetch on the roadside. This resulted to damages where some of our rice would sprout due to longer time waiting for vehicle to transport our products,” said Bartolaba.

 The inaccessibility of road also required most of the farmers in the barangay to double haul their products which means they doubled pay for the cost of labor.

Arial view of the 5 kilometer stretch completed section  of the ongoing FMR project. This road is now passable by vehicles, farmers, and communters. (Photo by Gian Enrique)

“From our farm to the highway we need to pay P25.00 to P30.00 per sack and from the highway to the center of Laperian we have to pay another P30.00. But now that there is a concrete passable road near our farm, we only spend P15.00 to bring our products in the highway and the truck will pick them for delivery,” Said Nomerlyn Batican.

By having a concrete road, buyers and delivery truck are now one call away according to Batican. Aside from the benefits they get as farmer, the project’s emerging benefit also provide ease to many residents in the community.

“Students here no longer worry the  flooding or mud on rainy days because of the concrete road. When somebody needs to be brought to the hospital, ambulance can respond immediately. Before this cemented road, houses were too far from each other, but now many transferred closer to the road,” said Batican.

“We are very much thankful that finally we received help in our farming and transporting our products. We really experience a huge difference,” said Bartolaba.

This P 104 million infrastructure which started in 2017 is under the Department of Agriculture Philippine Rural Development Project which aims to improve the dilapidated road of the five barangays to the junction national highway. (Joy M. Montecalvo)

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