ROAD FOR DEV’T. Agusan del Norte Governor Dale Corvera leads the groundbreaking ceremony of the PHP180-million road project in Carmen town on Friday (Jan. 24, 2020). The road project is seen to spur development in the conflict-affected barangay of Manoligao and nearby villages. (PNA photo by Alexander Lopez)
CARMEN, Agusan del Norte -- The rehabilitation of a road network that would traverse far-flung communities in the hinterlands of the Agusan del Norte town of Carmen is seen to boost the agriculture sector and help weaken the communist movement in the area.
Agusan del Norte Governor Dale Corvera and Agusan del Norte 2nd District Rep. Ma. Angelica Amante-Matba led the groundbreaking ceremony of the road project in Barangay Rojales, Carmen on Friday.
The project will involve the upgrading and improvement of the Manoligao Provincial Road with a cost of PHP180 million.
Expected to be completed in 241 calendar days, the project will be implemented by the provincial government of Agusan del Norte and will begin in the first quarter of the year, Corvera said.
Upon completion, the road network would provide the people of Barangay Manoligao access to Carmen, he said. The project is funded under the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF).
“Manoligao is considered a secluded village. This road is the only access of the people to Carmen,” Corvera said, adding that Manoligao and its nearby villages are among the sources of mango products in Agusan del Norte.
“We are providing more support to mango production in the province. This road network will help our farmers improve their mango production,” he said.
An increase in mango production would also attract investors to establish processing facilities in Carmen, he said.
He noted that the absence of processing facilities in the area force mango farmers to ship their produce to other provinces, such as Cebu.
“Manoligao is also affected by insurgency problem,” Corvera added. “This road network will help the government achieve its goals and objectives, especially in ending insurgency and local communist conflicts.”
The groundbreaking ceremony was also witnessed by the top officials of Carmen town led by Mayor Jovitte C. Calo and Vice Mayor Ramon M. Calo
The ceremony was part of the one-day immersion program and service caravan activity that was also held in Barangay Rojales on Friday. It was organized by the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) of Agusan del Norte to bring the government and its services to remote communities.
More than 1,200 residents of Rojales, Manoligao, and other villages joined the one-day activity, which involved various government agencies, providing medical and dental services, free haircuts, distribution of seedlings and seeds, and free legal consultations.
In her message during the activity, Amante-Matba called on residents to help government address the communist insurgency problem in the province.
“Our problems cannot be solved by the government alone. The insurgency problem we are facing in Agusan del Norte has grown with the support of some people, especially those who live in far-flung barangays,” she said.
Amante-Matba told the residents that the presence of communist rebels has driven away potential investors wary of peace and order
concerns.
“We need big investors in Agusan del Norte to provide more job opportunities to the people. But if the problem of insurgency will continue to persist, big investors will not pour in their capital in our province,” she said.
“We have seen the effects of insurgency in our communities. The communist movement has brought nothing but destruction into the lives of our people. Those who benefit from the movement are the few, particularly those in the higher organs of their organization. But the great number of NPA rebels continue to suffer in the mountains, killed during clashes, and their families continue to remain poor,” she added.
The lawmaker also asked the officials of barangays Rojales and Manoligao to help convince NPA rebels to return to the fold of the law.
“Let us support each other and help save lives of those who are still in the communist movement that has no clear direction,” Amante-Matba said. (PNA)
