Poor communities in NCotabato get new roads, school

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines  -  Four infrastructure projects -- a school building and three newly-concreted farm-to-market roads -- were officially turned over early this week by the provincial government to poor communities in far-flung areas.

The keys to the newly-built P750,000 worth school building in Barangay Banucagon in Pigcayawan town was handed  over to barangay officials by North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza in the presence of villagers.

The construction of the school building and the concreting of the three roads, one connecting a public high school in Manuangan area in Pigcawayan to the Cotabato-Davao Highway, and two more, which straddle through Barangays Amazonian and Talun-Talunan in Kidapawan City and Makilala, respectively, were bankrolled by the office of Mendoza.

The governor also opened to Banucagon residents a P5-million worth concrete road connecting the campus of a public high school in Manuangan to a strategic stretch of the Cotabato-Davao Highway.

Mendoza had also led the separate inauguration of the newly-concreted farm-to-market roads in Barangays Amazonian and Talun-Talunan.

Mendoza’s office spent almost P10 million for the two road projects, according to documents obtained from the provincial engineer’s office.

Mendoza said her projects in far-flung areas in North Cotabato’s 17 towns and in Kidapawan City are "peace packages” to reach local communities. - John Unson