
RPAB approves over 1B worth of I-BUILD sub-projects in Albay, Cam Sur, Cam Norte
April 10, 2015
The Regional Project Advisory Board approved 13 Intensified Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD) sub-projects (SPs) in Albay, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte worth a total of P1,484,464,068.5. The I-BUILD SPs approved during the 6th RPAB meeting on April 8, 2015 at Hotel Venezia, Legazpi City are part of the second phase of Philippine Rural Development Projects (PRDP) implementation in the three provinces of Bicol.
The RPAB-approved I-BUILD SPs consist of the P618,642,978.57-worth Construction of Tablon-Cagmanaba Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) with 5 Units Bridges in Oas, Albay and Concreting of Roads at Cabusay-Bakal and Tabas-Calaburnay and Junction Labnig Road in Paracale, Angas-Lidong in Basud, Poblacion-Pulonguit-guit in Sta. Elena, and San Jose-Napilihan Road in Camarines Norte amounting to P413,834,152.72.
Likewise, RPAB endorsed seven I-BUILD SPs in Camarines Sur with a total cost of P451,986,937.21 for funding this 2015. These include the Road Opening and Concreting of FMRs at Batang-San Gabriel in Pamplona and San Juan-Peñafrancia in Del Gallego. Also approved by the RPAB were the proposed Concreting of FMRs at San Isidro West-Cagaycay in Goa, Caranan-Macad in Pasacao, Cambalidio-Tinalmud (Cambalidio Section) in Libmanan, Tula-tula-Malubago in Sipocot, and F. Simeon-Upper and Lower Omon in Ragay, Camarines Sur.
According to Dr. Elena B. de los Santos, Regional Technical Director (RTD) for Operations and Extension and PRDP Focal Person, the newly-approved SPs are the first batch of proposals submitted by the Provincial Project Management and Implementation Units (PPMIUs) in Bicol for 2015. She lauded the PPMIUs of Albay, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte for their hard work and expressed her gratitude to the RPAB for approving all of the proposed SPs.
De los Santos pointed out that the RPAB’s knowledge about the PRDP process and its advantages to the farmers and fisherfolk contributed to the approval of the proposed I-BUILD SPs. The said proposals will be endorsed to the Project Support Office (PSO) South Luzon for issuance of No Objection Letter 1 (NOL-1).
In 2014, Bicol received the largest share of I-BUILD SPs with NOL-1 in South Luzon with five SPS having a total project cost worth over P600 million. “We hope that the newly-approved sub-projects will get a slice from the 2015 national PRDP budget,” De Los Santos said. (Annielyn L. Baleza, I-SUPPORT InfoACE Unit, DA-RAFIS 5)