Men and women, young and old alike cheered while waving green, white and yellow balloons as Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) officials, along with their local counterparts, drive past the newly concreted Hacienda to Rawis Farm-to-Market Road (FMR). The motorcade signals the turnover ceremony of the 8.30-kilometer infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject. 

DA-PRDP National Deputy Project Director Shandy M. Hubilla and Tabaco City Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman-Luistro led the Blessing and Turnover Ceremony of this DA-PRDP-funded FMR in San Miguel Island on September 29, 2022 . To celebrate the milestone which coincided with the Feast of San Miguel, the island’s patron saint, a motorcade from Brgy. Rawis to Sitio Malictay, blessing and unveiling of the marker at Brgy. Hacienda, and another motorcade from Sitio Malictay to Brgy. Visita were held and participated by local and barangay officials as well as motorcycle riders club members, and candidates for the PRDP San Miguel Island Festival Queen 2022. Project beneficiaries from the five barangays within the road influence area (RIA) gathered at the Brgy. Visita Covered Court for the turnover ceremonies.

In her message, Mayor Luistro cited some of the transformations that she observed with the completion of the PRDP I-BUILD subproject. 

“Kaito pighuhururunan ta sana ini, na magkakaigwa ki siring kaining proyekto sa isla kan San Miguel. Su groundbreaking ta dae ta pa aram kun pasaen. Pero ngonian nahiling ta na. Su grabe duman sa Brgy. Angas ito ta talaga pigtatakutan kang mga habal-habal, pero napakaray ito talagang patag na kumbaga su slope talagang magayon na (We used to just discuss about having this project here in San Miguel Island. We can’t even visualize this yet during the groundbreaking. But we can see it now. The dangerous road portion dreaded by habal-habal drivers in Brgy. Angas was levelled and the slope is now stable),” she said.  

She reiterated that infrastructure projects like roads and bridges connect people and communities. She expressed her hope that the I-BUILD subproject would strengthen the relationships among residents of the island as well as the barangay and city local government units and national agencies. 

She mentioned that the rallying point for the said I-BUILD subproject was to provide farmers in San Miguel Island with improved access to the market especially that it offers the best tasting sweet potato in the region. She added that the FMR will also pave the way for opportunities to improve the socio-economic status of the island which includes the provision of an ambulance, a plan to establish an infirmary that will provide 24/7 medical assistance to the community, and a plan to operate franchise units of motors with side car and jeepney.

“Dakulon po na mga posibilidad ang namundag. Bako sana ining proyektong ini kundi dakulon pa na mga bagong possibilities dahil ngani po sa siring kaining proyekto (Many opportunities were born. This is more than just a project but an avenue for new possibilities because of having this kind of project),” she added. 

Hubilla discussed the stages of implementation that the I-BUILD subproject went through. He compared the Blessing and Turnover Ceremony to a “graduation of the DA-PRDP and project stakeholders’ offspring” – a product of the collaboration among the DA-PRDP, the City Project Management and Implementation Unit (CPMIU), the contractor and the community. He noted the strategies employed by the Project and the contractor to accomplish the FMR subproject amid the pandemic.  He also lauded the FMR’s quality and the project beneficiaries’ diligence to plant sweet potatoes and other crops.

“Sa hiling ko, ang naging benepisyo (nitong subproject) sa sarong island economy and community that you have is very exponential.  Being in an island, I would encourage you to produce as much as possible, the basic necessities na kaya ninyong i-produce dito sa isla. ‘Yun po ang counterpart ninyo apart from the 10 percent (As I see it, the benefit of this subproject to an island economy and community like you have is very exponential. Being in an island, I would encourage you to produce as much as possible, the basic necessities that you can produce here in the island. That will be your counterpart apart from the 10 percent),” Hubilla said. 

He also appealed for the community’s support in maintaining the FMR’s quality and improvement of food and agricultural production not only in San Miguel Island but in the entire city. 

PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office Bicol I-BUILD Head Engr. Teodoro Eleda, together with the rural infrastructure engineers and project implementation support (I-SUPPORT) staff, Tabaco City Vice Mayor Nestor San Pablo, Former City Councilor Raul Roi Borejon and the five punong barangays of the San Miguel Island also graced the occasion. 

“Kang time na ito po nagbabarakal po kami ning produkto ning kamote sa Hacienda, tigpapasan mi po ang pagdara pasiring digdi sa samong barangay.  Ang tinampo daga pa lang po. Makunsuwelo po pag iabot ki uran ta siyempre su kamote po madugi, napapasan mi po, gari na man po kami mga karabaw, mga madugion na man po kami maabot digdi sa samuyang barangay. Dakulaon po ining proyektong naidara digdi sa isla nin San Miguel na naging partner ang PRDP. Samuya pong aatamanon po ining itinao nindo samuya na project. Dakulaon po na ang transportation po napagian para makadara nin mga produkto hale sa mga bulod dahil igwa na pong marhay na tinampo na maaagihan pasiring sa padudumanan. Dakulaon pong salamat (We used to carry on our shoulders the sweet potatoes that we bought from Brgy. Hacienda going to our barangay. The funny thing was, because it was just an earth road, we carry mud-coated sweet potatoes during rainy season. Upon reaching our barangay, we already look like carabaos smeared with mud. This completed infrastructure project in partnership with PRDP is a big help for us here in San Miguel Island. Having an accessible farm-to-market road will make it easier for us to deliver our agricultural products from our farms to the market. Thank you very much!),” Nelia Buara, punong barangay of Brgy. Visita said.     

The P192.74 million-worth Concreting of Hacienda to Rawis FMR in San Miguel Island Tabaco City will benefit a total of 14,856 peopleor 3,077 households in five barangays within the RIA, namely, Hacienda, Angas, Rawis, Sagurong and Visita. This includes 1,198 farmers and fisherfolk households. The FMR one of the 17 completed I-BUILD subprojects in Bicol implemented from 2014 to 2022 with a total cost of P1.43 billion. (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA RAFIS V/PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)