A total of 2,167 kilometers of farm-to-market roads (FMR) has been completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways across the country from 2016 to 2018, DPWH Secretary Mark Villar announced on Wednesday.
Villar said the construction and improvement of various FMRs during the two-year period amounted to P23.34 billion. These roads were among those identified by the Department of Agriculture.
“From 2016-2018, a total of 2,964 FMR were completed through the convergence program of DPWH and DA, while 1,110 are still ongoing,” he said in statement.
Villar noted the completion of the FMR projects has “significantly improved the transfer of goods and services” in the country’s hard to reach areas.
This, according to Villar, is also part the “government’s continued effort to support the agricultural sector.”
In Zamboanga del Norte, six farm-to-market roads were completed within two months in 2018. These included the 700-meter and P7-million worth Barangay Panabang FMR in the municipality of Liloy; and the 500-meter Barangay Tan-Awan FMR in the municipality of Baliguian, amounting to P5 million.
In Silago, Southern Leyte, the DPWH has also completed the concreting of the four-kilometer Catmon FMR, with a total cost of P30 million.
“We assure you that we are fast-tracking the completion of the remaining projects to provide not just access to basic social services but inclusive growth in the rural areas,” he said. (Raymund Antonio)