The Municipal Local Government of Ramon, Isabela, being the first municipality to partner with the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rural Development Project, inaugurated and turned over its first ever farm-to-market road to its farmer-beneficiaries, December 10.
Said FMR connects Oscariz and Nagbacalan, providing an easier access to Purok ni Bulan and Villa Beltran, where fishponds and vast rice fields are located and situated within the road influence area (RIA) of the FMR. The municipality is eyed as the Tilapia Capital of the Philippines.
“This is a wonderful project that will surely benefit the farmers here … When you sincerely implement a project out of compassion and care, everything will turn out to be alright. When we were having the motorcade on the road stretch, I notice that it was meticulously constructed. This must be the PRDP way,” said Isabela Governor Rodolfo Albano III.
DA Regional Field Office No. 02 Regional Executive Director and DA-PRDP Project Director Narciso A. Edillo lauded the endeavor.
“I am very happy that Ramon has completed its first FMR. It has been noted, too, that this project was completed way ahead of schedule. It is now the duty of the barangay officials to maintain it, so that it will surpass its economic life,” said Edillo.
Meanwhile, Deputy Project Director Elma Mananes also congratulated MLGU Ramon. She stated that there are other subprojects being proposed by the MLGU and that the completed FMR is the first. She added that it was visited by the World Bank Task Team in November 2019.
The 126.9-million-peso project will not only benefit the municipality, but it can also serve as an access road for the agricultural activities of its neighboring municipalities–San Mateo and Alicia.
“Agricultural products and inputs will be easier to transport upon completion of the FMR. Further, from Bantug, Alicia, and from San Marcos, San Mateo; travel time will already be shortened using this road towards Santiago City, to Manila and other trading posts,” Ramon Mayor Jesus Laddaran said.
“We are grateful to DA-PRDP for this opportunity which will significantly change the lives of our rural folks … It was completed two months ahead of the scheduled completion date,” added Laddaran.
Currently, Isabela has reached 700-million-peso worth of approved subprojects that is expected to reach a billion-peso worth once the other additional funding proposals from the province get approved. # # # (DA-RFO II, RAFIS)
