The Municipality of Currimao in Ilocos Norte inaugurated the construction of its first infrastructure subproject under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), the Rehabilitation of the Tapao-Tigue-Poblacion 2-Sta. Cruz-Lang-ayan Farm to Market Road, on May 8, 2018 in a ceremony held at Barangay Lang-ayan, Currimao, Ilocos Norte.

The FMR subproject has a total length of five (5) kilometers with a total subproject cost of Php50,391,994.74. It supports the mango as priority commodity and other commodities such as rice, corn, and tobacco.

In an interview by the Information, Advocacy, Communication and Education (InfoACE) Unit during the ground breaking ceremony, Mr. Alexander Austria, a resident for 58 years of Barangay Lang-ayan, Currimao, Ilocos Norte, recalls his hardship to buy and sell products during rainy season because of the pitted dirt road. “Sometimes, our products get spoiled because we cannot bring them to the market. That’s why we are very thankful that our road will be concreted.”

Upon completion, the FMR is expected to reduce postharvest losses incurred by farmers in Barangays Tapao-Tigue, Poblacion 2, Sta. Cruz, and Lang-ayan in Currimao, Ilocos Norte and in Barangays Sta. Rita and Monte in Paoay, Ilocos Norte. Aside from this, the FMR will also reduce transportation cost by 15-20 percent; reduce travel time up to 50 percent; and convert 80 hectares to new agricultural land within the first ten (10) years and increase the area of agricultural land by 40 hectares annually for the succeeding years.

Ms. Glenda Acapuyan who is also a resident of Barangay Lang-ayan and lives alongside the stretch of the FMR said, “During rainy season, water accumulates in the pits of the dirt road. These become breeding grounds of mosquitoes which cause dengue in our area. So, I am very thankful that the road will be concreted.”

Mr. Austria and Ms. Acapuyan are among the 1,071 residents in barangays Tapao-Tigue, Poblacion 2, Sta. Cruz, Lang-ayan, Monte, and Sta. Rita who will benefit from the construction of the FMR.

During the inauguration, Currimao Mayor Gladys Go-Cue expressed her gratitude to the project beneficiaries who donated portions of their lands to make the subproject possible. She also thanked all the personnel of the Currimao Local Government Unit and the PRDP who burned their midnight candles to accomplish the documentary requirements of the FMR subproject. She said that the PRDP is an opportunity not to be missed by the Municipality of Currimao.

Regional Project Advisory Board 1 (RPAB 1) representatives also attended the inauguration ceremony: Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) representative Mr. Onofre Lecitona, Jr.; Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) representative Engr. Samuel Borja; and, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) representative Mr. Victor Dabalos. The FMR in Currimao, Ilocos Norte was approved by the RPAB on November 17, 2015.

Badoc Builders and Supply, Inc. is the winning contractor of the FMR subproject in Currimao, Ilocos Norte and is expected to accomplish the construction within 205 calendar days. # Dessa U. Estrada, RPCO 1 InfoACE