Bataan town seeks funds for roads

Samal, Bataan –The Sangguniang Bayan (SB) is seeking a P40-million funding for the construction of farm to market roads and desilting of clogged rivers to improve the quality of life of the people in the agricultural sector.

Vice Mayor Aida Macalinao, presiding officer of the SB, stressed that that the local legislative council had passed several municipal resolutions urging the government and some members of the Senate to allocate portion of their Countrywide Development Fund (CDF) for the construction and rehabilitation of all weather- type farm to market roads for upland farmers to be able to bring down their agricultural products to the market at faster time and lesser transport cost. The state of the upland road in at least five villages of Samal deteriorated for lack of maintenance which resulted to spoilage of high value crops when farmers failed to deliver them on time at the market.

Macalinao said farmers have to pay high transport fare when buying agricultural inputs and land preparation due to longer time of reaching the farmlands and higher rental incurred in hiring hand tractor and others.

The Vice Mayor and council members have consulted with the municipal development council headed by Mayor Rolly Tigas in identifying farm to market roads and other infrastructure that should be given top priority to alleviate the problems of upland residents from ballooning transport fees and waste of manpower resources.

Macalinao has urged the government to focus on the alternative livelihood projects for low-income farmers and fisher folks who are solely dependent on the agricultural crops harvested from remote areas and depleted marine resources of Manila Bay.

At present, the town produced pineapple, coffee, cut flowers, palay, cassava and sweet potato and other crops.