By Brian Campued
To ensure that the budget allocated to the agriculture sector this 2026 is used for projects that will directly benefit Filipinos, the Department of Agriculture (DA) empowers the public to increase vigilance in government infrastructure projects, particularly the construction of farm-to-market (FMR) roads.
In a press briefing at Malacañang Thursday, DA Sec. Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said that the online transparency portal called “FMR Watch”, set to be presented to the media next week, allows citizens to check the progress, funding, and other details of all FMR projects being built across the country.
“Interactive ito… it will be so transparent that every single Filipino can actually go to this portal and see what is happening to every single road na ginagawa,” Laurel said.
For 2026, P33 billion in funding is allocated for the construction of FMRs—covering 2,200 kilometers—which are expected to ease the transfer of harvests and other agricultural commodities to markets, thereby benefitting both farmers and consumers.
The DA is taking over the primary implementation of the FMR projects from the Department of Public Works and Highways this year, as the latter is embroiled in corruption issues, particularly in flood control projects.
Laurel assured that FMR projects under their watch will now be subjected to proper costing to prevent overpricing due to uniform costing practices used in previous administrations.
According to Laurel, at least P14.5 million will be needed to build one kilometer of FMR—lower than the P18 million per kilometer budget implemented by the DPWH in 2025.
“Para ma-establish namin ang tamang costing ng farm-to-market road na kikita ang contractor pero wala nang sobra para kung kanino man,” Laurel stressed.
The DA chief added that they already reached out to the private sector and have held meetings with reputable companies to review project cost figures.
This is in line with the commitment of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to ensure accountability and transparency in government spending.
“Ang ating [Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.], malinaw ang direktiba sa aming lahat: Keep it clean, do it fast. This will be very transparent,” he added. (with report from Clay Parcilla / PTV News)
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