Provincial gov’t sets aside P50M for road projects

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government is setting aside P50 million budget next year as its counterpart for the P500-million worth of farm-to-market road projects funded under the Philippine Rural Development Program.

The project is part of the P27.5-billion six-year program of the Department of Agriculture bankrolled through the country’s World Bank loan proceeds. The special program covers all the 80 provinces in 16 regions of the country, including Cebu.

Roldan Saragena, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist officer-in-charge, noted that the province’s 10 percent counterpart for the PRDP is on top of the P30-million regular budget allocated by OPA for the FMR project.

“We proposed P170 million (regular budget) for farm-to-market road project for 2015, but it was reduced to P30 million because of that PRDP. But for that PRDP, aside from the regular budget, dunay giandam ang probinsya nga P50 million for counterparting,” he said during the Kapistorya forum yesterday.

The DA’s multibillion project got the approval of the National Economic and Development Authority last year. The total project cost for PRDP comprise the P20.553 billion loan from the World Bank, the P3.5-billion counterpart of the national government, the P3 billion equity of the local government units, and the P287-million grant from the Global Environment Facility.

According to DA’s official website, the PRDP complements its major initiatives in reducing poverty, creating broad-based or inclusive growth, and creating more jobs and livelihood opportunities.  The project is patterned after the successful innovations of the Mindanao Rural Development Program.

Saragena further reported that a total of P200 million is alloca-ted for the province under the PRDP for the current year.

The amount would fund the 20-kilometer roads in the province that are now under study, as a requirement set by the World Bank.

Saragena said three feasibility studies for different road links in San Remigio, Bogo City, and Daanbantayan are now nearing completion. These are the 3.1 kilometer road extending from San Remegio’s Barangay Dapdap to Tambongon; Dapdap to Toong road (1.14 km); and Toong to Ba-tad road (1.57 km); the 5.8 km road from Anonang Sur in Bogo City to Lambusan, San Remigio; the 2.76 km road from Kinawahan to Canagahan; and 6.6 km road from Agujo to Lanao to Tapilon in Daanbantayan town.

A subproject appraisal review for these areas is being conducted from November 20 to 22 this year by representatives from DA-7 and PRDP national team.

“Sila’y mo-check aning area, kay naa man sila’y criteria. Angay ba i-approve or naa pa bay laing requirement,” Saragena added.

Saragena said he is hoping that the Regional Project Advisory Board would approve the province’s subproject proposals for funding under the PRDP during its deliberation on the first week of December.

“If there is no objection or if they will send us the ‘No Objection Letter,’ makuha na nato ang P200 million nga tseke para karong tuiga,” he added.

He explained that the component LGUs were required to submit proposals on at least four road links to be funded under PRDP. These will then be subjected to an evaluation with PDRD-Cebu and the region.

Meanwhile, the province’s FMR projects funded by its P30-million regular budget for this year are now set to be implemented in the towns of Tudela and Tuburan.

Tudela will have its groundbreaking of the P15-million FMR project on December 7 in Barangay Villahermosa while Tuburan has yet to download the other P15million for the FMR project in Barangay Kabangkalan.

“We chose the areas based on our criteria; production rate is the number one consideration… The project will create another economic activity kay naa na may kalsada, sayon na man pagdala sa inputs,” Saragena said. — Michael Vencynth H. Braga/NSA (FREEMAN)