NORTHERN Mindanao (Region 10) cornered the biggest infrastructure- development investment totaling P1.78 billion under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Mindanao cluster.
The amount is 22 percent of the total Mindanao portfolio allotted for 34 projects of farm-to-market roads (FMRs), bridges, potable water systems and postharvest facilities in the provinces of Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental and Misamis Occidental.
Region 11 comes second with P1.71 billion for 38 projects; followed by Region 13 for 24 projects worth P1.54 billion; Region 9 with P1.38 billion for 18 projects; Region 12 with P1.35 billion for 47 projects; and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with P365.61 million for 13 projects.
“This road will benefit farmers in transporting their products not only in our barangay, but other upland villages, as well,” Barangay Captain Marilyn Macabinlar of Panabol, Kinoguitan, Misamis Oriental said. The barangay has benefited from the concreting of 1.34-kilometer (km) Panabol-Buko FMR amounting to P15.08 million.
To date, the Mindanao cluster has a total portfolio of P8.14 billion for 174 infrastructure projects in various stages of implementation under the Intensified Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD) component.
A total of 48 subprojects worth P1.3 billion has been completed. The remaining P5.39 billion was allocated for the 73 on-going subprojects and the P1.45 billion for 53 under procurement subprojects.
Overall, there are 118 subprojects under the FMR category of 652.31 km worth P7.04 billion; seven FMRs with bridge with combined length of 43.65 km and 324.6 linear meter worth P710.77 million; two communal irrigation systems serving 150 km worth P36.68 million; 18 Level 2 portable water systems worth P99.71 million that will benefit 4,408 households; and 29 postharvest facilities worth P250.73 million.
I-BUILD component supports the development and linking of priority commodity value chains in project areas that will benefit producers, traders and rural population in general.