The Department of Agriculture, through the Philippine Rural Development Project (DA PRDP), has approved two farm-to-market roads (FMR) worth P370.93 million to aid heirloom rice production sites in the municipality of Banaue.

The PRDP’s National Project Coordination Office has issued a “No Objection Letter 2” (NOL 2) for the construction of the 8-kilometer Anaba-Ducligan-Banao FMR and the improvement of the 4.8-kilometer Viewpoint-San Fernando FMR. These FMR subprojects will be implemented under the Municipal Local Government Unit of Banaue.

NOL 2 is issued to subprojects that are approved for implementation. A Notice of Award (NOA) and a Notice to Proceed (NTP) will then be issued to the contractor followed by a pre-construction conference and finally, the construction works. Prior to this, an initial NOL that secures the funding of a particular subproject is issued.

Both roads will link towns and barangays to support the agriculture activities in the municipality of Banaue especially the heirloom rice industry, which is the primary commodity being supported by the road projects and also the One Town One Product (OTOP) of the municipality. It will also support the proposed enterprise of the Rice Terraces Farmers’ Cooperative (RTFC) which is located at Poblacion, Banaue, under the PRDP’s I-REAP (Enterprise Development) component.

“With the construction of these roads, farmers will be able to sell their products to the market, institutional buyers and processors may likewise buy products directly from the producers who cannot afford to transport their products to the center town,” said Chery Marie Pallay, the Municipal Project Management and Implementing Unit (MPMIU) head of Banaue for PRDP implementation.

The Construction of Anaba-Ducligan-Banao FMR is a road opening that will cover three barangays belonging to the farthest barangays of Banaue. Some parts of these barangays especially barangay Banao is entirely not accessible by means of any transportation. As part of the road’s program of works, a 20-meter bridge will also be constructed in barangay Anaba.

The Improvement of Viewpoint-San Fernando FMR on the other hand, will cover two barangays that belong to the rural barangays of Banaue. With the rehabilitation of this road, residents of barangay Lubu-ong of the Municipality of Hungduan, Ifugao may also benefit from the subproject.

Aside from heirloom rice, coffee, vegetables and legumes thrive in these roads’ influence area.

It shall benefit around 592 households with 2,833 population.

Aside from these road projects, the municipality of Banaue have nine approved and ongoing communal irrigation system (CIS) subprojects under PRDP implementation.

Prior to this, the improvement of Junction-Alimit-Nattum FMR in the municipality of Mayoyao, Ifugao was also issued with NOL 2 last May 2019. With a length of 4.9 kilometers, it is has a project cost amounting to P140.6 million. This FMR subproject will be implemented under the Provincial LGU of Ifugao. ### (Elvy S. Taquio, RPCO-CAR InfoACE)