TACLOBAN CITY – Residents of two farming villages in this city will soon enjoy paved roads as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) start construction of two farm-to-market roads (FMRs) following the groundbreaking rites held on March 11.
DPWH starts the construction of the three-kilometer road in Barangay Camansihay while simultaneously rehabilitating the 1.4-kilometer lane in Barangay Sto. Niño. Both projects, with a combined project cost of P96 million, are funded under DAR’s Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF).
DAR Assistant Regional Director for Administration and Program Beneficiaries Development Division Ismael Aya-ay, who represented DAR Eastern Visayas regional director Robert Anthony Yu in the groundbreaking, disclosed that interventions for FMRs are among the priority agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Agrarian Secretary Conrado Estrella III to encourage agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) to increase their production and likewise help them ease the burden in transporting their harvests to the market.
Aya-ay stressed that DAR looks after the needs of its ARBs from infrastructure to capacity building and enterprise development.
On the same occasion, Tacloban City District Engineer Rebecca Yuse, directed the contractors of the two projects to finish them before the city fiesta in June so farmers in these areas could bring their harvests to the market.
Meanwhile, Barangay Camansihay Chairperson Adan Esmeres, shared that “Natikangan ini nga kalsada han panahon ni Presidente Marcos Sr. Yana la liwat ini napadayon. Sanglit dako an amon pasalamat ha DAR nga ini nga farm-to-market road natuloy na.” (This road was started during the time of President Marcos Sr. It is only now that this road is being continued. That is why we are very grateful to the DAR that this farm-to-market road is now being realized.)
He also added, “Daku ini nga grasya ha amon nga dinhi ha Camansihay ini nabutang nga farm-to-market road.” (This is a big blessing for us that this farm-to-market road is being implemented here in Barangay Camansihay.)
According to Esmeres, nearly 5,000 residents in his village are expected to benefit this project. (Jose Alsmith Soria/DAR-8)
