ROAD DEVELOPMENT. Officials of the provincial government of Negros Occidental and the Department of Agriculture walk through a portion of the 4.7-kilometer Sitio Magtuod to Sitio Vergara farm-to-market road in Barangay Bug-ang in Toboso town which formally opened on Wednesday (June 19, 2019). The PHP61.6-million road, implemented under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project, will benefit 448 households and also provide accessibility to teachers and pupils of Vergara Elementary School. (Photo courtesy: Richard Malihan/Negros Occidental Capitol PIO)
BACOLOD CITY -- Three road projects worth PHP231.652 million, implemented under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), were unveiled in three areas in northern Negros on Wednesday.
The projects, two of which are located in Cadiz City and the other in Toboso town, were turned over by Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. together with DA-Western Visayas Regional Executive Director Remelyn Recoter and Regional Technical Director for Operations Manuel Olanday to officials of the local government units in separate rites.
In Cadiz, the two projects were endorsed to Cadiz City Mayor Patrick Escalante.
These include the 12.46-kilometer farm-to-market road from Barangay Caduhaan to Sitio Aluyan worth PHP146.539 million. The project will benefit 633 households and provide access going to Aluyan Elementary School and complement the PHP23.446-million 40-linear meter Dalayapan Bridge.
In Toboso, Mayor Richard Jaojoco received the symbolic key to the 4.7-kilometer Sitio Magtuod to Sitio Vergara farm-to-market road in Barangay Bug-ang.
The PHP61.6-million road project will benefit 448 households and also provide access to teachers and pupils of Vergara Elementary School.
“These PRDP projects will surely boost the economic activities in these areas,” Marañon said.
The governor acknowledged the efforts of the local governments of Cadiz and Toboso for helping implement the projects.
Recoter said Marañon actively worked for the realization of these projects.
In September last year, the DA-6 and the provincial government also turned over the 3.3-kilometer road from Barangay Gomez to Barangay Zamora in Pontevedra town in southern Negros. Also a PRRD-implemented project, the road is benefiting 435 households.
Recoter earlier said Negros Occidental has been included in the top three local government units (LGUs) in the country which had availed of the highest amount of projects under the PRDP.
The PRDP, jointly funded by the World Bank, the national government and the participating LGUs, is a six-year national project under the DA that aims to establish a modern, value chain-oriented and climate-resilient agriculture and fisheries sector.
Through partnerships with the LGUs and the private sector, it provides key infrastructure, facilities, technology and information to raise incomes, productivity and competitiveness in targeted areas.
The funding of PRDP projects is under a counterparting scheme. For infrastructure projects, World Bank’s counterpart is 80 percent with 10 percent each for DA and recipient-LGU. (PNA)
