GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/07 April) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) has released an initial grant of P24 million for the rehabilitation and upgrading of a priority farm-to-market road in Malapatan town in Sarangani Province.
Sarangani Gov. Steve Chiongbian Solon said Tuesday the grant will fund the initial phase of the 8.1-kilometer Lun Masla-Kinam road concreting project in Malapatan.
Such funding will be utilized for a 2.6-kilometer stretch of the road, which leads to vast agricultural production areas in Barangay Kinam and other upland villages in Malapatan, he said.
“We’re very grateful to the national government for this grant as it will help a lot in the development of the area,” the governor said.
Solon said the DA approved such funding under the infrastructure development component of its food security program.
He said the project will mainly be funded by the DA grant and additional counterpart funds from the municipal and provincial governments.
It will be supervised by the provincial government, through the Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO), in coordination with the DA.
Engr. Jerry Belbider, Sarangani PEO head, said the DA regional office has already approved the project’s plan and issued a certification regarding the availability of the allotted funds.
He said the project’s bidding was conducted last week by DA Region 12 in Koronadal City.
“We will implement the project as soon as its contract is finalized and awarded to the winning bidder,” he said.
Aside from the food security grant, Belbider said they have submitted a proposal to DA for an additional P50-million funding to facilitate the completion of the road project.
He said they specifically sought for the inclusion of the project into the infrastructure development component of the Philippine Rural Development Program.
Belbider said the additional funding will cover for the concreting of the remaining 5.5 kilometers of the road project. (MindaNews)
