Esperanza, Agusan del Sur – When the weather finally turned well after a day of rain in this town, work resumed for a road concreting project. Laborers and the engineers of both the project contractor and the local government troop to a certain portion of the road where the box culvert is supposed to be constructed.

Waiting at the location in Barangay San Isidro, where the proposed road would end, was village chief Ferdinand Lazaga, who recommended to the project managers the proper placement of the culvert so as to avert excessive water outflows.

“Kinahanglan naa gyud ang opisyal sa pagplastar sa project… nga kini misubay sa panginahanglanon sa barangay (Barangay officials should be active in the project implementation… to ensure that the needs of the community are met),” Lazaga said.

He added that while there is a detailed project plan, barangay officials and residents must see to it that they are present to monitor the implementation.

Lazaga is referring to the 1.4-kilometer Taganahao-San Isidro farm-to-market road (FMR), which is being funded by the Department of Agriculture through the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) with a cost of P14 million.

PRDP through its infrastructure component, Investments for Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics Development (I-BUILD), aims to put in place reliable infrastructures like FMRs to link agricultural production areas to markets.

Angelica Aguilar, a village leader in the adjacent town of Talacogon, said that they are oriented of their role in the monitoring of the concreting of road projects, particularly the Batucan-Malihao-Del Monte FMR which covers 2.4 kilometers.

“As community leaders, we should play an active role in the regular monitoring of our project and report any problems or anomaly we encounter,” she said.

She added that they should also track if the process is being followed accurately and that the materials used like the cement mix is of good quality and follows the correct standards.

At the same time, project contractors have also recognized the importance of involving barangay leaders and community residents in the implementation of road projects, according to Miguelito Baron, village chief of Barangay Songkoy in the town of Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte where the 1-kilometer Gamoton-Lake Mainit FMR is ongoing construction.

“We have established a good relationship with the contractor because they inform us if they will conduct cement pouring and other construction activities. We saw that they are transparent,” he said.

Baron said that their LGU has empowered them as partners not only during road inspections but also in ensuring that the project is sustainable.

Road benefits

“This road is really for the farmers who have long endured this muddy and rough road, which severely affected the quality of their produce,” Baron added. Now, he said that the transport cost of rice produce may be reduced from 30 to 10 pesos.

Lasaga of Esperanza also echoes this optimism. “The FMR will benefit rice farmers who used to go around a seven-kilometer route to reach our barangay, where access to market is much easier. When the road is completed, this will significantly decrease hauling and transport cost as well as travel time,” he said.

He added that those living around the boundary of the two barangays who plant banana and coconut would also benefit since their products can just be collected along the road.

For Aguilar, the FMR would be a great relief to farmers in their area who used to wait for two hours for their produce to be picked up due to the poor road conditions.

“With this new road, we can easily transport it to markets or vehicles can now even go door-to-door to collect our produce,” she said.

Barangay leaders have also passed ordinances to ensure that the concreted roads will be maintained such as disallowing heavy trucks to pass during rainy days.

The FMRS in the three Agusan towns are part of the P966.38-million portfolio of approved I-BUILD projects for Carage region, with seven already under implementation and 12 undergoing procurement stages. (Jay M. Rosas/PRDP Mindanao)

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