Officials from the Project Support Office, Regional Project Coordination Office, Provincial Agriculture Office and from the Municipality of San Ildefonso, together with the beneficiaries and PAPs, pose for a shot during the assembly last October 7 at the Bubulong Munti Elementary School. PRDP road project to make farming easier—Bulakeño farmer
Renato Calderon of San Ildefonso, Bulacan has been farming for 20 years now, and all these years, he has to brave the rugged roads of Bulusukan village in this town.
But his hardships will soon end with the construction of the Bubulong Malaki-Bulusukan-Bubulong Munti-Buhol na Mangga Farm-to-Market Road (FMR). The FMR sub-project is implemented under the Infrastructure Development (I-BUILD) Component of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
“With the construction of this road, we will be able to deliver [our products] to Balintawak [Market] earlier and faster. This will be a big help to make farming easier for us,” Renato said.
He added that they will be able to bring their products to the market in time to enjoy better selling price.
Renato grows palay (rice) and ampalaya (bitter gourd) in his two-hectare farm in Bulusukan.
Community consultation
The Bulakeño farmer is a member of Bulusukan Farmers Cooperative, one of the participants of the recent assembly and dialogue with the sub-project’s beneficiaries and project-affected persons (PAPs).
The PRDP conducts several consultation activities with communities affected by its sub-projects as it adheres to rigid social and environmental safeguards, ensuring social acceptability and environmental soundness of its interventions.
Crispulo Bautista Jr., Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 3 Technical Director and PRDP-Regional Project Coordination Office 3 Focal Person said that the PRDP wants to inform and involve every resident of the four barangays in the sub-project.
“We gathered everyone here to remind them that the success of this [sub-project] relies on their active monitoring and participation in the implementation,” Bautista said during the assembly.
The PRDP-National Project Coordination Office gave the final signal on September 14, 2015 for the LGU to proceed with the implementation of the 9.8-kilometer FMR sub-project, which costs P97.5 million. ### (Mark Erron H. San Mateo, RPCO3 InfoACE)
RPCO3 Focal Person Director Crispulo G. Bautista Jr., discusses important points during the assembly of beneficiaries and PAPs held last October 7 at the Bubulong Munti Elementary School in San Ildefonso, Bulacan
