The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), together with the municipal government of Taysan, Batangas, formally broke ground the “Improvement of Barangay Sto. Niño to Barangay Piña Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) with Bridge” on July 22, 2021.

The 3.95-kilometer FMR with bridge, with a total cost of PhP101.92 million, will span two agricultural barangays of Taysan. A large portion of the subproject cost will be used in the construction of the 35 linear meter reinforced concrete deck girder bridge that will allow residents of the barangays to safely pass the river during the rainy season.

Tasyan Mayor Grande Gutierrez acknowledged that the road is a testament to how the municipal government learned from the process and how to make the most out of it.

“Marami tayong natutunan sa proyektong ito na maaari naming magamit sa mga susunod pang proyektong imprastraktura. Nakita rin naman ang kahalagahan ng pagtratrabaho na may puso, agresibo, at dedikado,” Mayor Gutierrez said.

DA Assistant Secretary for Operations Arnel De Mesa expressed his admiration with the local government of Taysan, adding that before becoming the Assistant Secretary-designate, it was during his time as Regional Executive Director of DA-CALABARZON that this project was conceptualized and approved by the Regional Project Advisory Board.

“[Ang pamahalaan ng Taysan ang isa sa mga] natitira [sa DA-PRDP] na matatag, masipag, at may magandang hangarin para sa kanyang nasasakupan. Siguraduhin po natin na tuloy-tuloy ang maganda nating naumpisahan hanggang sa matapos ang kalsada,” Asec. De Mesa said.

Afterwards, the pre-construction conference was conducted to heighten awareness and present the processes and things to look-out for by different components and units. Representatives from the DA-PRDP South Luzon and CALABARZON offices presented I-BUILD, social and environmental safeguards, geomapping, procurement, compliance, and financial concerns for the subproject.

Municipal Engineer Albert Cueto Jr. also gave an overview of the subproject, while a representative from NDM Sanchez Builders and Development Corporation was also present to discuss the construction methodology. The contractor also constructed the San Jose – Del Valle FMR in San Antonio, Quezon that was completed in 2018.

Participating in the groundbreaking and pre-construction conference include barangay chairpersons, barangay councilors, municipal councilors, and department heads of Taysan local government. Also present were Batangas Fourth District Representative Lianda Bolilia, DA-PRDP South Luzon Project Director and concurrent DA-CALABARZON OIC-Regional Executive Director Vilma Dimaculangan; DA-PRDP CALABARZON Project Director Abelardo Bragas; DA-PRDP CALABARZON Procurement Unit Head Felix Ramos; DA-CALABARZON Regional Technical Director Dennis Arpia; and DA-CALABARZON APCO for Batangas Fidel Libao. (Lawrence Albert Bariring, DA-PRDP CALABARZON RPCO InfoACE Unit)

Barangay and municipal officials of Taysan, Batangas led by Mayor Grande Gutierrez breaks the ground for the farm-to-market road with bridge subproject.

DA Assistant Secretary-designate for Operations Arnel De Mesa applauds the will of Taysan municipal government in ensuring that this project will push through. This subproject was approved by the Regional Project Advisory Board when Asec. De Mesa was still the regional executive director of DA CALABARZON.