By Philippine News Agency
Residents of several upland barangays in Lambunao, Iloilo have benefited from the seven-kilometer farm to market road funded under the Agrarian Reform Communities Project (ARCP) II of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to the tune of PHP57.6 million.
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The project was turned over to the recipient-barangays of Agsirab, Bagongbong and Caguisanan, belonging to the Agsibago Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) with 175 agrarian reform beneficiaries on Thursday.
The turn-over ceremony was graced by DAR Undersecretary Rosalina Bistoyong together with Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr., and Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Arthur Defensor, Jr.
Mayor Jason Gonzales, in an interview Friday, thanked the DAR for the project as the residents of the recipient-barangays, as well as those nearby barangays could now easily transport their agricultural products to the town proper.
Prior to the project, Gonzales said that it would take almost half day for the farmers to bring their agricultural products to the town proper using a carriage pulled by a carabao.
Meanwhile, Gov. Defensor stressed that the project will drastically change the lives of the beneficiaries especially the farmers.
The provincial government has a counterpart fund of PHP8 million for the project.
The Asia Development Bank (ADB) allotted 50 percent of the project cost and the remaining 50 percent was contributed by the LGU of Lambunao.
The construction of the project started last January 16, 2015 and was completed last November 15, 2017.