Additional P377 million FMR projects poured in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Province has received additional P377 million worth of farm-to-market road (FMR) projects funded under the Department of Agriculture’s World Bank-funded Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).

The Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) for Central Visayas approved three FMR subprojects in Cebu last December 8.

RPAB is part of the PDRP’s implementation structure.  It is composed of different regional directors of the national government agencies and chaired by the regional executive director of DA-7. Its approval is a first step before the projects can secure funds from the PRDP.

Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Roldan Saragena said these are the biggest road projects that have been approved by the RPAB by far.

The largest chunk of the budget, or P183 million, would be poured in the municipality of Sogod for its 19 kilometers of road. The other newly RPAB-approved projects are located in the towns of Tudela with 11 kilometers road and Santander with six kilometers, worth P115 million and P69 million, respectively.

The subprojects are on top of the other PRDP-funded projects RPAB had approved.  Early this year, RPAB also endorsed for funding around P143 million of FMRs in the typhoon Yolanda-stricken northern Cebu area.  The bidding for the projects already started last November after these were issued with No Objection Letter 1 by the National Project Coordination Office.

Two small livelihood projects in the town of San Remigio were also approved by RPAB. These are the native chicken production in Barangay Maño and wine production in Barangay Tambongon.  Bigger livelihood subprojects will be endorsed starting next year, said Estella Rodriguez, project management officer for PRDP-Cebu Provincial Project Monitoring and Implementing Unit (PPMIU).

PRDP is the P27.5-billion six-year program of the DA that aims to reduce poverty and create livelihood opportunities.

Under the program, the national government will shoulder 90 percent of the total cost of the road infrastructure project while the remaining 10 percent will be paid by the province as counterpart.  The Capitol allocated P97 million as the province’s 10 percent counterpart to the program in its 2016 annual investment plan.

In sum, this would cost the Capitol P970 million worth of infrastructure projects from PRDP in 2016.  (FREEMAN)