ILOILO CITY — Five municipalities and selected agrarian reform communities in Panay received infrastructure projects and other common service facilities from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).
Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones, assisted by Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Sr., led the turnover of some PHP225.76 million worth of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) to five Iloilo municipalities – under the Portland cement concreting project – during the pre-arrival program for the visit of President Rodrigo Duterte, held at the Cabatuan gymnasium on Wednesday.
The project, funded by the Asian Development Bank with a 50-percent equity from provincial and municipal local government units, will make it easier for agrarian reform beneficiaries to bring their products to the market and help facilitate the transport of farm inputs to their farms.
The recipient towns were Barotac Viejo with the concreting of the Sitio Nagpana-Sitio Proper, Liapata-San Geronimo FMR, amounting to PHP34.12 million; Dumangas, with the concreting of the Pulao to Sitio Bulod to Sulangan FMR worth PHP25.825 million; Lambunao, with the concreting of the junction national road to Agsirab to Bagongbong to Sitio Agdalusan FMR worth PHP57.63 million; San Rafael, with the concreting of the San Andres-San Florentino FMR worth PHP56 million; and Bingawan, with the concreting of the Agbao-Tapacon-Inamyungan-Guinhulacan FMR worth PHP51.93 million.
Moreover, DAR turned over four tractors and one combined harvester to selected beneficiaries under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Project in Iloilo and Capiz. These support facilities are expected to enhance sugarcane production in areas covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
Two dump trucks were also awarded to sugar block farms in Pontevedra, Capiz and Patnongon, Antique. Block farming consolidates the management of small farmers with less than five hectares into a bigger farm of at least 30 hectares for farm productivity improvement.
Bridge projects were also awarded to the towns of Badiangan, Mina and New Lucena under the Tulay ng Pangulo para sa Kaunlarang Pang-Agraryo.
Meanwhile, 117 newly-promoted personnel of DAR from its provincial and regional offices in Western Visayas took their oath of office before Castriciones.
In his message, the agrarian reform chief underscored the need to also recognize DAR employees for them to continue with their advocacy of serving the farmers. (Perla Lena/PNA)
