P40-M road projects in Maguindanao town launched

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines — Officials inaugurated on Monday vital road projects in the seaside Parang municipality, a centuries-old trading center for Moro peasants from surrounding towns.

The P40 million-worth projects, a three-kilometer stretch of the Parang-Barira road and an artery connecting the town proper to the Padang-Padang adventure park, were constructed as a joint infrastructure initiative of the municipal government, the office of Governor Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the ARMM's Department of Public Works and Highways.

The P25 million funding for the three-kilometer stretch of the Parang-Barira road was sourced from the government's Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program, augmented with an additional P5 million allocation from the ARMM's 2013 infrastructure subsidy.

The P10 million-worth access road to the Padang-Padang park was funded out of the ARMM's 2014 Infrastructure budget.

Hataman led the symbolic launching of the road projects, assisted by Parang Mayor Ibrahim Ibay and ARMM Regional Public Works Secretary Hadji Emil Sadain.

The event capped off Monday's 67th founding anniversary of Parang as a chartered municipality.

Sadain said the road projects in Parang were implemented without delays.

Sadain's office was adjudged two weeks ago as ARMM's "top performer" in terms of delivery of services and handling of state funds by a panel of regional officials and representatives of various civil society organizations.

Parang started as a Spanish-era coastal trading settlement, where Moro folks from what are now Maguindanao's Buldon, Barira and Matanog towns sell their agricultural products.

Japanese forces utilized the area as a naval encampment during World War II.

Ibay said he is thankful to the Hataman administration for providing his office with infrastructure needed to boost the local economy and hasten the connectivity of farming enclaves in surrounding towns to Parang's public market and transportation terminals.

Sadain said the ARMM government has earmarked P415.6 million-worth of infrastructure projects in Parang from 2012 until 2015.

Ibay said the newly-inaugurated road projects will complement the efforts of the national government toward the restoration of normalcy in Moro guerilla enclaves.