Everything’s good to go now that the National Project Coordination Office issued last September 14 the No Objection Letter 2 for the improvement of the Bubulong Malake-Bulusukan-Bubulong Munti-Buhol na Mangga Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) in San Ildefonso, Bulacan. The 9.8 kilometer-long FMR aims to service 7,178 citizens from the four baranggays, and majority of them are farmers who are engaged in planting rice, bitter gourd, tomato, string beans, siling panigang, eggplant, and upo. According to the farmer-beneficiaries, it has been a long wait for the improvement of the FMR in their area, that’s why they are all very grateful for the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) and the positive changes that it entails.

The subproject implementation officially started last September 23, and set November 21, 2016 as the completion date of the FMR improvement. And during the course of the implementation, rigorous monitoring is aptly needed in order to attain the objectives of the subproject: to reduce the travel time from the farm to the market by 25%, to increase traffic count by 18%, to reduce input and output hauling cost by 25%, to reduce postharvest losses by 2% for palay and 1% for other commodities, to expand the production area of ampalaya, and to provide employment opportunities to the residents of the four barangays. Having this in mind, PRDP institutionalizes the barangay officials as a major monitoring unit during the entire course of the implementation of subprojects.

Thus came forth the Barangay Implementing Team.

The Barangay Implementing Team, or simply BIT, is an organization constituted by barangay officials that shall assist in the implementation of subprojects funded under PRDP. The BIT members are expected to monitor the implementation of subprojects and to report any works performed by project contractors that are found to be defective and substandard.

Now that the improvement of the FMR in San Ildefonso is underway, the barangay captains of Bubulong Malake, Bulusukan, Bubulong Munti, Buhol na Mangga have all readily expressed their willingness to take part and form the BIT that will maintain and monitor the subproject implementation in their area. And their willingness is re-affirmed during a dialogue with World Bank officials who visited the project site last October 13. Barangay captains Adela Vidal (Bubulong Malake), Rolando Cayetano (Buhol na Mangga), Darwin Calderon (Bulusukan), and Jess Mangalindan (Bubulong Munti), together with their constituents, attended the said dialogue wherein they voiced-out their gratitude and support for the implementation of the subproject.

“Sa simula pa lamang ng proyektong ito, naglaan na kami ng oras na puntahan ang mga may-ari ng lupa na dadaanan ng FMR upang ipaliwanag sa kanila ang proyekto nang sa gayon ay maiwasan ang aberya kapag ipinatupad na ito, (Before the subproject started, we have already talked with our contituents whose land will be affected by the FMR and explained to them the project, so that misunderstandings will be prevented during the implementation of the subproject)” said Bubulong Malake Captain Adela Vida. “At ngayong ganap nang ipatutupad ang proyekto, makakaasa ang PRDP na ang bawat opisyal sa aming baranggay ay tutulong sa pagbabantay at pagmomonitor sa pagsasaayos ng daan, dahil kami rin naman at ang aming mga ka-barangay ang makikinabang dito. Ang pagbabantay namin ay para rin sa aming kapakanan, (Now that the project is underway, PRDP can count on us monitoring the construction of the FMR, because we are the ones who will benefit in this project)”

As part of the capability-building aspect of the PRDP, the BIT from the four barangays in San Ildefonso will undergo a series of trainings that will enhance their monitoring skills and will enable them to understand the technicalities of subproject implementations. These trainings are highly important for the BIT will monitor the progress of both infrastructure (I-BUILD) and non-infrastructure (I-REAP) subprojects.

“Sinusuportahan namin ang pagbubuo ng mga barangay implementing team na mangunguna sa pagbabantay sa proyektong ito. Tutulong kami sa pagmo-monitor ng proyektong ito hindi lang bilang mga barangay officials, kundi bilang mga benepisyaryo, (We support the formulation of barangay implementing team that will lead in the monitoring of the project. We will help in the monitoring of this project, not only as barangay officials, but also as beneficiaries)” added Bubulong Munti Captain Jess Mangalindan. “Gusto naming tumagal nang maraming taon ang ipagagawang kalsada kaya full-force kami sa pagbabantay at pagmomonitor sa proyektong ito ng PRDP, (We want to have a road that will last for years that’s why we will be in full-force in monitoring this project under PRDP).”

The Improvement of the FMR amounts to PhP 97,555,310.88, wherein 80% (PhP 78,044,248.70) will come from the loan proceeds from the World Bank, 10% (PhP 9,755,531.09) from the Government of the Philippines, and 10% (PhP 9,755,531.09) from the LGU equity. And knowing that there is a large amount of money involved in this endeavor, the general public and the project beneficiaries can expect that the project will be worth every penny, especially now that PRDP will have a steady and dependable overseer during the implementation of subprojects.

Now, with the San Ildefonso BIT in full support, everything’s definitely good to go. (Mark Erron H. San Mateo, InfoACE)