GINGOOG CITY—The implementation of a P65-million farm-to-market road (FMR) of the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in Gingoog City will be a fulfillment of the city government’s Peace Road Program, its top official said.
The 5.56-kilometer San Miguel-Kalagonoy FMR is funded under PRDP’s Intensified Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD) or infrastructure component.
During the groundbreaking ceremony last month, Gingoog City Mayor Stella Marie Guingona said she formulated the Peace Road Program when she assumed the post of city mayor, “which has been a dream of the people in the rural barangays of Gingoog City for the longest time.”
“Now that this is happening, we are inaugurating the groundbreaking of five FMR concreting projects,” she said.
Along with the FMR of PRDP, Gingoog will also implement two other road projects from the DA worth P10.6 million each, and two from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) costing more than P60 million.
Guingona promised “to continue until all the roads in the Gingoog are concreted.”
DA-Regional Field Office 10 OIC-Regional Director Carlene Collado urged the contractor to speed up implementation of the FMR, since the fund is ready, and the 15-percent mobilization fund is now available at the Program Support Office in Davao City.
“We request the contractor to speed up implementation of the project. I also ask the support of the LGU of Gingoog and the barangay to closely monitor the implementation process, as we don’t allow this to be terminated if not properly implemented,” Collado said.
He reminded them the policy in I-BUILD Operations Manual that if a project incurs more than 15-percent negative slippage, it can be considered for termination. If this happens, the total amount released from PRDP shall be fully refunded by the local government unit.
Collado said Gingoog City should be able to perform well, having almost 25 percent out of the P738-million current I-BUILD portfolio for Misamis Oriental.
“Aside from FMRs, the DA has more programs to implement, such as rice, corn, high-value crops, livestock and organic program, which you can avail [yourself of] to increase your productivity and income,” Collado said.
Meanwhile, Guingona said that, along with the construction of FMRs, they are also giving farm inputs to the farmers to boost their production and harvest.
Guingona also thanked the DA, DPWH and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process for helping them bring the government closer to the people.