The National Project Coordination Office 1 issued No Objection Letters 1 (NOL1) for the infrastructure sub-projects of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte on May 30, 2016; the Municipal Local Government of Manaoag, Pangasinan on June 22, 2016; and the Municipal Government of Paoay, Ilocos Norte on June 30, 2016.

The Rehabilitation of the Billoca-San Juan Farm to Market Road and Eight bridges is the pilot infrastructure sub-project of the Province of Ilocos Norte under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) to support the mango commodity. The province is second in producing the most volume of carabao mangoes in Ilocos Region.

The Regional Project Advisory Board 1 (RPAB 1) approved the FMR on August 3, 2015. It traverses the Municipality of Sarrat and the City of Batac in Ilocos Norte, with a total length of 12.16 kilometers and an estimated project cost of P170.3 million. The proposal also includes the rehabilitation of eight small bridges, namely Bulisising, Camandingan 1, Camandingan 2, Caoayan, Pandan, Rayuray, San Pedro, and Sta. Cruz. The rehabilitation of the FMR is expected to create positive socio-economic impact on 1,254 households in the area. This sub-project is the biggest infrastructure proposal in Region 1 that is issued with NOL 1.

The Construction of the Oraan Bridge with approaches is a proposal by the Municipality of Manaoag in Pangasinan. It is the first MLGU-proposed infrastructure sub-project in the Ilocos region to be issued with NOL 1. It was approved by the RPAB 1 on November 25, 2015. With a total length of 21 lineal meters and 146.5 meters approaches, it aims to improve the livelihood of 307 household beneficiaries in the area.

The Rehabilitation of the Nalasin-Sungadan-Langiden FMR in Paoay, Ilocos Norte is also aimed to improve the transportation and livelihood of 401 household beneficiaries. It was proposed by the Municipal Government of Paoay, making it the first MLGU-proposed sub-project in Ilocos Norte to be issued with NOL 1.It has a total length of 4.934 kilometers and costs P67,394,000.

The above-mentioned sub-projects aim to support the mango industry in Ilocos Region. Ilocos Region produced 221,254.8 MT of Carabao Mangoes in 2015, making it the country’s top producer for Carabao Mango. (Source: http://agstat.psa.gov.ph/)

At present, the sub-projects are awaiting the finalized and approved copies of their respective Philippine Bidding Documents to start the procurement process. (Ilocos InfoACE)