As a copra farmer, Pascual Hernandez, 43, of Brgy. Cuco in Pasacao, Camarines Sur used to earn P1,200 every two months, depending on the harvest. Married and planning to have children, Hernandez saw a better economic opportunity when the construction work for the “Upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang Farm to Market Road (FMR)” started.

Equipped with skills, he applied as a mason and was instantly hired on May 2018. Now, Hernandez receives P2,100 weekly for doing mason work from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Monday to Saturday.

“Nakakatipon-tipon na ako kumpara sa dati kong trabaho. Marhay man ta natinampuhan man digdi makakatabang ini sa pagluluwas nin copra (Compared to my previous job, this work gives me more savings. It is good that a concrete road is finally being constructed here. It will also help in hauling copra from the farm to the market),” he said.

Hernandez was among the 156 local workers employed through the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP)-funded infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject in Pasacao, Camarines Sur.

The PRDP adopts the Labor-Based Equipment Supported (LB/ES) methods of construction and maintenance of rural infrastructure, in support of the employment generation thrust of the national government.

Under the Project’s General Implementation Arrangement, 80 percent of the labor force should be taken from the partner-community. This makes the beneficiaries within the locality a priority in labor force selection.

The 8.50-kilometer FMR in Pasacao, Camarines Sur is one of the three on-going PRDP I-BUILD subprojects in the province. The P50.58 million-worth subproject will benefit 2,360 individuals or 546 households particularly farmers engaged in rice, corn, coconut, banana, vegetables and rootcrops production. As of December 2018, the Upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang FMR has a physical progress of 64%. ### (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)  

Pascual Hernandez of Brgy. Cuco in Pasacao, Camarines Sur is one of the 156 local workers employed under the PRDP-funded I-BUILD subproject “Upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang Farm to Market Road (FMR)”. (Photos by Hermito Antonio T. Privaldos, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

PRDP South Luzon PSO Deputy Project Director Shandy Hubilla (3rd from left), PRDP-Bicol Deputy Project Director Adelina Losa (2nd from left) and PRDP-Bicol SES Unit Head Engr. Teodoro Eleda (4th from left) discuss the findings of the site validation conducted at the Upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang Farm to Market Road (FMR) with the PPMIU-Camarines Sur I-BUILD team. (Photo by Hermito Antonio T. Privaldos, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)

Pascual Hernandez of Brgy. Cuco in Pasacao, Camarines Sur is one of the 156 local workers employed under the PRDP-funded I-BUILD subproject “Upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang Farm to Market Road (FMR)”. (Photos by Hermito Antonio T. Privaldos, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)