ASIPULO, IFUGAO – No amount of rain could dampen the high spirits of the people in Pula, and some barangay officials from Cawayan and Camandag, Asipulo, Ifugao during the groundbreaking of the P220 Million-worth Pula-Cawayan-Camandag road construction with bridge component on October 30, 2017.

This occasion was attended by the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Executive Director (RED) Lorenzo Caranguian, Regional Technical Director Danilo Daguio and other key DA officials from the regional office; officials and employees of the Provincial Local Government Unit (PLGU) of Ifugao led by Provincial Administrator Albert D. Pawingi, who represented Ifugao Governor Pedro G. Mayam-o, and Vice-Governor Jose Gullitiw; Asipulo municipal local government unit (MLGU) officials and employees led by Mayor Armando Domilod and some officials and constituents of the three beneficiary-barangays of Pula, Cawayan and Camandag, Asipulo, Ifugao.

During the short program held at Pula Barangay Hall, Asipulo, Ifugao, Provincial Project Management and Implementation Unit (PPMIU) Head Engr. Carmelita B. Buyuccan presented to the people the profile of the Pula-Cawayan-Camandag Farm-to-Market Road with Bridge Component Project. Buyuccan explained that this is a special project under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) funded by the World Bank.

Engr. Buyuccan gave a detailed breakdown of the total cost of the project amounting to a total of P220, 200,631.50. She said that 80% or P176, 160,505.28 is funded by the World Bank, 10% or P18,692,866.67 for the road and P3,323,204.49 for the bridge comes from the National Government, particularly the Department of Agriculture (DA). The last 10% or P22, 024,055.06 comes from the Provincial Government as its counterpart. The profile also showed that the road component, costing P186, 928,586.56, will measure 11 kilometers while the bridge component, costing P33, 272,044.94, will be 30 meters in length.

After the briefing on the project, RED Lorenzo Caranguian gave a message urging the barangay people to cooperate and support the project as it will benefit many. He lauded the people of Ifugao for dreaming of such a “big” project which he thinks will jumpstart progress in Asipulo and the neighboring areas. He also thanked the local government units, from the Provincial Government down to the barangay government for working together in solving the problems that had earlier beset the project. He mentioned that Cordillera got the highest allocation for farm-to-market road in the Philippines and further gave some tips in getting proposals funded under the PRDP, saying that LGUs should submit as many relevant and substantial proposals as can be and as fast as could be possible.

For his part, Vice-Governor Jose Gullitiw, a native of Asipulo, gave some words of inspiration to the people. He thanked all the stakeholders, especially the DA-Cordillera Administrative Region officials who contributed in making the groundbreaking a possibility.  He asked for the continuous support of his constituents in Asipulo until the project is finished, mentioning that this road project is the biggest one in the municipality. Gullitiw challenged the people to make this project a model in the Province. He also challenged the contractors of said projects to extend a sincere and committed implementation.

As the beneficiaries, Cawayan Barangay Captain Antonio Ngipol, Camandag Barangay Captain Samuel Kimmayong and Pula Barangay Captain Victor Pinkihan assured everybody of their full support to the project until its completion. Meanwhile, Asipulo Mayor Armando Domilod welcomed this development in his municipality and enjoined his constituents to support this project to make it a success.

On the other hand, Provincial Administrator Albert Pawingi, who represented the Governor, said in his message that the success of this project will determine the need for a continuation. He lauded the Vice-Governor and members of the SP for approving the fund counterpart for the project, at the same time, he admonished the community to support the LGU and the contractors in the implementation of this project.

Due to the sudden outpour, the ceremonial groundbreaking was not carried out, instead the contractors and officials and personnel of the PLGU, MLGU of Asipulo met at the Sangguniang Bayan Hall, Asipulo and agreed on some guidelines to facilitate the smooth and speedy implementation of these PRDP projects.

The PRDP, a six-year national project under the Department of Agriculture (DA), aims to establish a modern, value-chain oriented, and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector. It also aims to strengthen good governance, transparency and accountability mechanisms at all stages of the project cycle. It also intends to operationalize a local level convergence platform among relevant national agencies and other stakeholders like the private sector, civil society, producers and academe to synergize projects and programs that benefit the greater segment of the farmer and fishers towards attaining inclusive growth.

Said project is jointly funded by the World Bank, the national government and the local government units (LGUs). -RPLindawan/PLGU Ifugao-InfoACE