Farmers in Mutia town in Zamboanga del Norte will no longer have to go through a rough road in transporting their produce from farm to market with the completion of a two-kilometer road in their place.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced that the 2.15-kilometer in Mutia was recently paved to a two-lane road.
Regional Office 9 Director Cayamombao D. Dia said that the completed project is vital for the farmers from Barangays Tubak, New Siquijor, Bergado and El Paraiso in connecting them to market centers to deliver their produce to the town proper of Mutia. Travel time will also be reduced from 30 minutes to only 15 minutes.
“We are glad that these farmers who cultivate cacao, abaca, coconut and bananas as their source of livelihood no longer have to bear the burden of bumpy, dirt road. This is the main goal of our project with the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) through the construction of basic rural infrastructure that will facilitate better transport of agricultural products to commercial hubs,” DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said.
The road, which is a convergence project with DTI, will also allow locals to have safer and faster access to schools, hospitals, and other basic social services only available in the urban areas.
It was completed within five months under a P58-million fund.
The project also included the construction of paved shoulder, thermoplastic markings, drainage and canal structures and slope protection features.