Province hopes for funds for roads

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu provincial government is optimistic that the proposed farm-to-market road projects worth P200 million to be funded under the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) of the Department of Agriculture would soon be approved.

The proposed infrastructure subprojects are now subject for review and approval of the Regional Project Advisory Board.

Jun Calinawan, planning component head of the PRDP, said they are positive that the project would be approved as it was already modified after the subproject appraisal review by a PDRP team in November last year.

“Gitan-aw na pud nila ang mga flaws. Hopefully, atong batting percentage 90 percent,” he told reporters.

He added that they are just waiting for the “No Objection Letter 1” (NOL) to be awarded by the National Project Coordination Office which already signals the local government unit to proceed with the publication of the invitation to bid.

Apart from this, another NOL will be issued by the World Bank, the funding institution, so the subprojects would finally be implemented for the different road links in San Remigio, Bogo City, and Daanbantayan, totaling 20 kilometers.

These road links are the 3.1 kilometer roads extending from San Remigio’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.

The province allocated P30 million in 2014 as its counterpart of the P200 million project under PRDP. For this year, Calinawan said the province has set aside P50 million for another P500 million fund.

The PRDP 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 total project cost for PRDP comprises the P20.553 billion loan from the World Bank, the P3.5-billion counterpart from the national government, the P3-billion equity from local government units, and the P287-million grant from the Global Environment Facility.  — Michael Vencynth H. Braga/ATO (FREEMAN)