“Dahil hindi maganda ang kalsada, mas mahal pa ang pagbiyahe ng aming produkto sa bayan kaysa sa kikitain namin (Because of the problematic road, the transportation of our products to the market costs more than our income).”

This is how Mr. Dalmacio Ritual, Barangay Chairperson of Mainit Norte, Perez, Quezon, together with other residents described their hardships and their aspiration for the proposed road on their municipality to be funded through the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) I-BUILD component.

Perez, the northernmost municipality in Alabat island, is a 5^th class municipality that has patchwork of paved and unpaved roads which hinders its potential to increase income of the town itself and its residents. Its proposal requires the construction and concreting of farm-to-market road (FMR) in Mainit Sur, Mainit Norte, and Pambuhan while its road influence area covers half of its 14 barangays.

PRDP delegates headed by RED Vilma Dimaculangan (fourth from left) together with Perez Mayor Pepito Reyes (first from left) check the site for the proposed road network in the municipality. (Photo by Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP RPCO 4A InfoACE Unit)

Endorsed last year by the Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB), changes in road segments (from 4 to 1) and decrease in project cost necessitated another review of the board. Questions regarding projected opportunities and higher mark-up were answered satisfactorily and led to endorsement of the subproject again last June 1 at the Perez municipal hall.

The 9.4 km FMR project will be connected from the National Road in Brgy. Mainit Sur and will end at Brgy. Pambuhan where an earlier road project was funded under KALAHI-CIDSS. If approved, the PRDP-funded 9.4 km project worth P131,803,963.45 will complete the circumferential road system of the municipality.

“Malaking bagay ito para sa aming bayan. Asahan niyo po na gagawin namin ang lahat ng aming makakaya upang maipatupad ng husto ang pagpapagawa sa kalsada,” Mayor Pepito C. Reyes said.

Its immediate goal is to reduce the travel cost of commuters and commodities by P60.00 from P115.00 to P55.00. Farmers and fishers will be able to transport their products (i.e. coconut/copra, rice, banana, cacao, root crops, fishes) cheaper and faster (from 45 minutes to 25 minutes) to the town proper or to Alabat, Quezon where a Roll-on, Roll-off port is located. From here, their products will be delivered to mainland Quezon and neighboring provinces.

Mayor Reyes reiterated that this project is not for lazy government officials. He enjoined all government agencies to work hand in hand for the project’s success not only of their proposed sub-project but also of other municipalities.

RED Vilma Dimaculangan during her talk about the proposed farm-to-market road. (Photo by Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP RPCO 4A, InfoACE Unit)

This was also echoed during the message from Regional Executive Director Vilma Dimaculangan. “Nais naming lahat ng humihiling sa PRDP ay mabigyan ng pagkakataon kaya naman kami na lamang ang dadayo sa inyo para maayos na ito,” she said.

Aside from benefits for the agricultural sector, other sectors specifically tourism will also derive profit from this. The proposed road is located near the landing site of aircrafts as the town is gearing for increase in tourists visiting their beaches and other natural wonders.

Together with Director Dimaculangan, other RPAB members present included representatives from the Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Trade and Industry, and the private sector represented by the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council chairperson. Also present during the review is Project Director Shandy Hubilla of the Project Support Office for South Luzon.

PRDP is a six-year project designed to establish a modern, inclusive, value-chain oriented, and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. With funding support from the World Bank, PRDP is implemented by the Department of Agriculture in partnership with local government units and farmers and fishers organizations. ### (Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP RPCO 4A InfoACE Unit)