WB officials visit infra projects in North Cot

World Bank officials visited recently the towns of North Cotabato to inspect implementation of infrastructure projects they co-finance with the national government.
The eight-man WB team visited the farm-to-market road (FMR) projects implemented by the Department of Agriculture – Mindanao Rural Development Program (DA-MRDP) in the towns of Aleosan and Libungan.
“We are here to personally look into the status of various MRDP projects. We would like also to solicit from you suggestions to improve the program implementation,” said WB country director for East Asia and Pacific John Roome during the focus group discussion in Aleosan town.
Meanwhile, MRDP deputy program director Arnel de Mesa said that the visit was also as part of the series of assessments for the proposed Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).
PRDP is envisioned to be the up-scale version of MRDP which will cover all the 80 provinces across the country.
“As PRDP will be patterned from MRDP, Mindanao regions will serve as role model in project implementation for Visayas and Luzon,” De Mesa said.
Among the FMR projects in Aleosan town, the team visited the on-going 4.34 kilometer FMR rehabilitation projects in barangays Upper and Lower Mingading. The project amounted over P14-million.
Aleosan Mayor Loreto Cabaya Jr. said the FMRs availed of the local government unit from MRDP have significantly reduced the transportation cost of the farmers.
“With the better road conditions we have reduced the risk on travelling produce to the market and bringing farm inputs especially on the highly-elevated portions. While the savings on transportation mean increase income of farmers,’ Cabaya said.
Aleosan town produces mainly corn, rice, coconut and high value commercial crops like rubber.
In Libungan town, the team visited the FMR concreting Sitio Abacanhan, Sitio Nueva-Fuerza, and Sitio Largo with a total length of close to a kilometer amounting to P 6.4 million. (Sherwin B. Manual/DAMRPD)