DBM releases P297M for farm-to-market road repairs in Compostela

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Budget and Management has released P297 million to the Department of Public Works and Highways for the repair of a farm-to-market road system in Compostela Valley.

The release, charged against the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRMMC) Fund, will be used to repair farm-to-market road and bridge components of the Laak Road Project in Compostela Valley, specifically in Barangays Aguinaldo and Kidawa in Laak, as well as Barangays Casoon and Banlag in Monkayo.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said “rehabilitating the Laak road project will not just restore the delivery of public goods and services to the affected communities. In the longer term, the road system should also connect otherwise remote communities—such as the Laak municipality in Compostela Valley—to their neighbors.”

In 2012, Typhoon Pablo flattened 13,951 houses in Laak and affected 100 percent of the town’s population.

The typhoon devastated several municipalities in Region XI, especially in the provinces of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley. In Compostela Valley alone, there were 520,000 people affected by the storm (or 73 percent of its total population), 651 dead, 488 injuries, and 471 reported missing.

The government has since calculated the damage and losses in the area to add up to P40 billion in terms of infrastructure, livelihood, housing, schools, and health facilities.

“The Aquino administration continues to look out for the welfare of our farmers and agricultural communities, especially in disaster-stricken areas. The rehabilitation of farm-to-market roads is critical in this respect, because these roads are the farmers’ primary means for bringing their produce to commercial centers.

“Once the roads have been properly repaired, transporting goods from farm to market will be much more efficient, and we can expect economic activity to pick up further in Compostela Valley. These efforts are part of our ‘Build Back Better’ strategy to rebuild disaster-stricken areas with stronger infrastructure, besides creating more opportunities for economic growth for the local population,” Abad said.