Pre-final inspection on the Improvement of Viewpoint – San Fernando FMR conducted
The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Project Support Office (PSO) North Luzon, in cooperation with the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) CAR, Municipal Local Government Unit (LGU) of Banaue and Alfalfa Construction Group, continued to validate the actual accomplishment progress of the Viewpoint – San Fernando Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) through a pre-final inspection held on January 26, 2022 in Banaue, Ifugao.
The said validation was conducted to properly assess the quality of works on the road improvement, and to ensure that there is minimal to no defects and deficits once the project is completed.
PSO North Luzon I-BUILD Component Head, Engineer Ernesto Pitok, commended the Alfalfa Construction, the group in charge of the road construction, for their service and commitment to ensuring excellence in the improvement of the FMR.
This came after the team, through the Geomapping and Governance (GGU) Unit, revealed during the exit meeting that they observed only one (1) crack or defect throughout the validation, which speaks for the quality of the work done on the road subproject.
Meanwhile, the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Unit reiterated to the construction group the proper abandonment guidelines for the field office, batching plant, bunk house/s and disposal sites prior to completion of the subproject.
The team also met with Banaue Mayor, Dr. John Raymund Wesley Dulawan, the following day to discuss matters regarding the agreements during the 13th World Bank Implementation Support Mission (WB ISM).
The 4.8-km Viewpoint – San Fernando FMR is a subproject identified in support of the rice heirloom commodity in the municipality. It has a project cost of PhP 124.8 million, and is expected to reduce transport cost and travel time, increase the annual household income of farmer-beneficiaries, increase the income of the household beneficiaries on heirloom rice production and enterprise development, and increase agricultural production and the annual volume of marketed products.
(Ericson Guiao, PSO North Luzon)
