VALENCIA CITY – The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project 10 (DA-PRDP 10) officially turned over the longest Farm-to- Market Road (FMR) in the region on September 24, 2025, with a span of 16.27-kilometers traversing Sitio Pantaron–Barangay Banlag Proper Junction to Barangay Mabuhay.

 

 

This road is expected to benefit more than 6,000 households in Barangays Mabuhay and Banlag by improving mobility, access to markets, and overall connectivity in Valencia City. The project, amounting to Php 261.82 million, was funded under the Second Additional Financing with the European Union Co-financing Grant (AF-2 EU).

DA-10 Regional Executive Director, Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan, congratulated both the barangay and city local government for this feat, as the subproject will open new opportunities for the community.  “We are pleased that the road was built well with the support of the local government. Before, I saw how difficult the road was, but now we can see how good it has become. Congratulations to the local government and the barangay for recognizing the potential of this area. This opportunity will bring greater development to our farmers, entrepreneurs, and residents and also for the future of our children.”

[“Nalipay kaayo kami nga maayo kaayo ang pagkahimo sa dalan uban sa suporta sa lokal nga pangagamhanan. Sa una, nakita nako kung unsa ka lisod ang dalan dinhi, apan karon makita na nato nga nindot na kaayo. Congratulations sa lokal nga pangagamhanan ug sa barangay nga nakakita sa potensyal dinhi. Kini nga higayon makahatag ug dugang kalamboan sa atong mga mag-uuma, negosyante, ug mga lumulupyo, alang usab sa kaugmaon sa atong mga kabataan.”]

Robert A. Boje, Punong Barangay of Banlag, recalled the long journey leading to the project’s completion, emphasizing that the local government served only as instruments in making it possible. “This project has been years in the making. It brings us great joy to see it finally realized. We are merely instruments through which our barangays can be uplifted, boosted, and guided toward greater progress. Now, whether day or night, we can easily travel. This road is not only for us to benefit from today, but also for the generations to come.”

[Kini nga project has been years in the making. Dako kaayo ni og kalipay sa among kasing-kasing nga natuman kini nga proyekto. Kami instrumento lamang, in which ma-uplift, ma-boost, ug mahimong hinungdan nga molambo ang atong mga barangay.

Karon, bisan adlaw o gabii, pwede na mi makaadto. Dili lang kini para sa among magamit karon, kundili para usab sa among umaabot nga henerasyon.]

One of the beneficiaries of the road project, Datu Romel Mansaloon, the Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) of Barangay Banlag, shared that the FMR will not only provide access for their products but also open opportunities for their children’s education.

I am very grateful that this road has finally been given to us, the Lumads, especially the IPs, as it will help us and our future generations attain a better life, particularly in education. As IPs, we have long been deprived of education because of the distance and the difficulty of the road.

With this road, we can now see what we can achieve and the progress ahead. This is a great help for us—not only today, but for generations to come.

[“Dako kaayo akong kalipay nga gihatag na gyud kini nga dalan para sa among mga lumad, especially sa mga IP, nga makatabang kanamo ug sa among kaliwatan aron matagamtaman ang hustong kinabuhi, ilabi na sa edukasyon. Kay kami nga mga IP, kulang gyud mi sa edukasyon tungod sa kalayo ug kalisod sa dalan.

Tungod niini, makita na namo ang among makab-ot ug ang kalambuan. Dako kini’g tabang sa amo, dili lang karon apan hangtod sa among mga kaliwatan.”]

 

 

 

 

 

The subproject officially broke ground in November 2022 and was among those visited during the 18th World Bank Implementation Support Mission in November 2024. The FMR will serve farmers producing banana, coffee, corn, abaca, rubber, cacao, rice, and other commodities.