ROADS TO PROGRESS. Members of the Joint Technical Review and Subproject Appraisal and Review teams for two farm-to-market roads in the Caraga region are at work in Agusan del Sur in this undated photo. A total of 7,357 farming families in Dinagat Islands and Agusan del Sur will directly benefit from the PHP846.64 million, 31.75-km. road project, an official said Saturday (Aug. 19, 2023). (Photo courtesy of DA-13 Information Office)
BUTUAN CITY – Two farm-to-market road (FMR) projects are already in the pipeline in two provinces in the Caraga region and will benefit about 7,357 farming families.
With the completion of the Joint Technical Review and Subproject Appraisal and Review in the past two weeks, the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture-13 (DA-Caraga) is hopeful that the FMR projects in two municipalities in Dinagat Islands and three municipalities and one city in Agusan del Sur would be implemented within this year.
The activities involved actual inspection of the proposed sites, validation of number of beneficiaries and other technical requirements.
“There is already an ongoing compliance review being undertaken at the central office,” Rene Morales, the component head of the Regional Project Coordination Office of the DA-PRDP in the region, said in a phone interview on Saturday.
He said the FMR projects would have a total cost of PHP846.64 million and a total length of 31.75 km.
He added that the local government units of the two provinces have already complied with the signing of the memoranda of agreement on Aug. 15.
In Dinagat Islands, the FMR will be in the towns of Basilisa and Libjo with a total length of 8.67 km. and a total cost of PHP332.64 million.
The two FMR projects in Agusan del Sur will be implemented in Bayugan City and the town of Esperanza with a span of 9.18 km. and a cost of PHP188.9 million; and in the municipalities of La Paz and Loreto with a length of 13.9 km. and a cost of PHP325.09 million.
“The proposed FMR in Dinagat will directly benefit some 3,659 farming households while 3,698 farming families will also be served by the two projects in Agusan del Sur,” Morales said.
The regional PRDP is waiting for the comments on the compliance review being done in the central office.
“If there will be technical findings that need to be corrected, then we will revalidate it on the ground and submit these results back to the central office. After all the technicalities are settled, the notice to proceed will be issued, which will also signify the start of the implementation of the project,” Morales said. (PNA)
