Fatigue and sleepless nights did not hinder Mayor Arnold P. Dinungon of Ambaguio, Nueva Vizcaya in presenting the executive summary and project profile of their proposed farm-to-market road (FMR) during the 18^th Business Meeting of the Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) on March 27, 2018, at the Administration and Training Center Conference Hall, DA-RFO2, San Gabriel, Tuguegarao City.

“My presentation may not be as comprehensive as what you might expect, but I am going to show the details and the viability of the proposal. We have been burning our midnight candles, but determination kept us aflame today,” Mayor Dinungon, the first local chief executive to present a subproject proposal in front of the RPAB, said.

He explained the topography, location, poverty index, project feasibility indicators and beneficiaries within the road influence area (RIA). He also discussed the cross-section, elevation, slope protection, and segments of the road, including the economic viability indicators like the economic internal rate of return (EIRR), sensitivity analysis and the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of the proposed Tiblac-Dulli FMR.

“Our municipality, with a climate similar to that of Baguio City, is one of the top producers of tomato in Nueva Vizcaya. The FMR, which spans 7.846 kilometers with an estimated project cost of Php134,293,676.05 would directly support this commodity, aside from rice, sweet potato, cabbage, ginger, squash, cucumber, snap pole beans, white beans, rice, coffee, white beans, and sweet pepper,” Mayor Dinungon said.

The value chain analysis for tomato shows that tomato processing and marketing is a promising venture for Nueva Vizcaya. The top five tomato producing municipalities are Kasibu, Dupax del Sur, Dupax del Norte, Sta Fe and Ambaguio. The rehabilitation of Tiblac-Dulli FMR is an appropriate intervention in the development of the tomato industry in the province, particularly in the identified production areas.

Significantly, one of the largest production areas in the Municipality of Ambaguio is within the RIA  and the farmers there will be the major beneficiaries. The improvement of the Tiblac-Dulli FMR will lessen the transportation cost and travel time in the marketing of their tomato product.

Ammoweg, Napo, Camandag, Poblacion, Dulli, Salingsingan, Labang and Tiblac are the eight barangays of the municipality, with a population of 11,751. The proposed farm-to-market road has in its influence area 1,121 households and a total of 7,357.32 hectares of potential area for expansion.

Moreover, Mayor Dinungon revealed that Ambaguio, a quaint, far-flung municipality of Nueva Vizcaya, is home to 4,514 Indigenous People (IP) of Kalanguya and Ayangan tribes. He narrated that during the consultation, the project affected persons (PAP) and the IPs did not have any objection to the proposed rehabilitation of the road.

“The Sangguniang Bayan headed by the vice mayor has passed a resolution appropriating 16 million pesos as our equity for this subproject. They have the same desire that this road will be improved through PRDP as this is the only route that leads to the nearest provincial road which is about 9 kilometers away from the town center. The existing road is filled with potholes, muddy during the rainy season and dusty during the dry season. It is almost impassable,” Mayor Dinungon said.

He clarified that the proposed farm-to-market road passes through barangay Tiblac, the entrance to the municipality to Barangay Dulli, which is about 6.9 kilometers for segment 1 and sitio Lupaas to sitio Labbi of Barangay Tiblac which is about 1.5 kilometers.

“The road is actually 8.4 kilometers, but 554 kilometers will be retained, leaving a net length of 7.846 kilometers,” he concluded. (Ferdinand N. Cortez, RPCO2 InfoACE)