LIBMANAN, CAMARINES SUR – No one can best describe the development at Brgy. San Isidro in Libmanan other than the ninety year old resident Adelo Baldonado who has lived in this area ever since he was a little boy.

Baldonado is one of the 1,514 farmer household beneficiaries who now benefit from the Rehabilitation of San Isidro to Pag Oring Farm to Market Road (FMR) located in the second district of Camarines Sur. Completed in April 2018, the 6-kilometer subproject now provides convenient and safe road access.

As he reminisced his experiences, he said that he never expected that a concrete road would be constructed in their barangay. “Kadtong panahon tao lang saka damulag ang pwedeng makaagi igdi, hanggang tuhod kaya ang laboy, lalo na pag nag-uuran. Nagraralakaw lang ang tao pasiring sa centro o merkado para magtinda ning mga aning bagas o gulayon (Long time ago, only people and carabaos can pass through this area, because the mud can reach up to knee especially when it rains. Almost everyone here walks going to the market to sell their harvest),” he added.

To sustain the needs of his family and send his children to school, Baldonado used to walk 11 kilometers for one and a half hours to reach the market in the Municipality of Sipocot and sell bitter gourd, legumes, cassava, sweet potato and other kinds of vegetables. But now, transporting harvests from the area is easier and faster.

“Simple lang ang pamumuhay mi kadto igdi, mapagal pero kontento man kami. Pero mas maugma ngunyan na may tinampo na, mas mapapabilis ang samuyang hanap-buhay (Life here is simple, it’s tiring but we are contented. But we are very much grateful now that this road is constructed. This will surely help us sustain our livelihood)”, he added.

This FMR links economic growth points and will thereby improve the agri-economic and social condition of the residents. This road also helps the farmers by reducing their travel time by 23% and transportation cost by 20%. ### (Michelle Angela G. Alfigura, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

The residents can now easily transport their “copras” to market via the rehabilitated San Isidro to Pag-Oring Farm to market Road. (Photos by Hermito Privaldos)

Adelo Baldonado, 90-year old resident of Barangay San Isidro, Libmanan, Camarines Sur expresses his gratitude for the Rehabilitation of San Isidro to Pag Oring Nuevo Farm to Market Road. (Photos by Hermito Privaldos)