For over 40 years, the residents of Balecbec, Naguilian, La Union and Basca, Aringay, La Union traverse the rough dirt barangay road of the Balecbec-Basca FMR and cross the unsteady Balecbec bridge.

On the rainy season, the Balecbec-Basca FMR and Balecbec bridge are impassable to vehicles and residents due to erosion and floods.

Meanwhile during dry season, passing residents bathe in dust which causes allergies and other respiratory-related illnesses.

PRDP or the Philippine Rural Development Project is about to change the lives of the people in the said communities.

The rehabilitation of the Balecbec-Basca FMR and construction of a new Balecbec Bridge was prioritized as the pilot IBUILD subproject under the Philippine Rural Development Project in the province of La Union.

The 7.82-kilometer Balecbec-Basca FMR and 30-lineal meter Balecbec Bridge connects the mango producing communities of the municipalities of Naguilian and Aringay in La Union.

At present, with its existing road condition, most common mode of transportation for residents is the “Pasagad” or an animal-pulled bamboo sled. Riding a pasagad, the journey will take an average of 60 minutes from the barangays to the main national highway.

Accessibility to and from the market have always been a major concern of its residents.  Farmers traversing the area to deliver their agricultural commodities to the market incur great losses annually because of product spoilage and damage caused by the poor condition of the existing road.

Furthermore, this difficult situation has forced a number of farmers to plant crops just enough for their sustenance and family consumption even with the availability of vast production areas for cultivation for fear of incurring losses. As a result, more and more residents have shun away from farming.

A few number of jeepneys conditioned to traverse the rough and uphill terrain of the place also transport residents to and fro but in cases of heavy rains, people just opt to stay in their homes for they know the dangers of wading through a slippery and eroding road.

The poor road condition also contributes to the low turn-out of enrolees in the schools of Balecbec and Basca, bringing serious concern to the school faculty and administration.

PRDP will fund the rehabilitation of the Balecbec FMR which includes the concreting of an 8 meter pavement, inclusion of 1 meter gravel shoulder on both sides and 1 meter drainage also on both sides and the construction of a new and climate-resilient bridge in Basca.

A total of P113.78 M costs the full development of the site through PRDP.

Completion of the project is expected to reduce from 60 minutes to 20 minutes the travel time of the residents from their barangay to the national highway. It will also reduce high cost of transportation by 10-20% and hauling costs by 50%. Likewise, it is expected that with the development of the FMR and bridge, it will increase profit of local farmers by at least 20% with the cultivation of new agricultural land area and enhancement of delivery of goods and commodities.

However, impact of the project will be felt more by the school children who experience daily struggles going to school bathing in dust during dry season and getting their feet soaked in mud during rainy season. Some are even forced to go back home to change their clothes because they slip on the muddy roads on their way to school, hence getting soaked with mud and rain.

Farmers in the area are likewise elated knowing the benefits they can gain through the project. With an easier access to transport, they will not only reduce the cost of transporting their harvests from their farms to the market but post-harvest losses will also be reduced.

After four decades of waiting, here comes a project that will bring better journeys ahead for the entire community of Balecbec, Naguilian, La Union and Basca, Aringay, La Union…And for the people, the wait is finally over. (Ilocos InfoACE)