Two (2) road concreting projects were recently-completed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to support the agribusinesses in the town of San Mateo, Isabela – known as the “Munggo” or Mung Bean Capital of the Philippines.
DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan, citing a report from DPWH Isabela 3rd District Engineer Adonis A. Asis, said that the road improvement projects in San Mateo were implemented in convergence with the Department of Trade and Industry under Roads Leveraging Linkages of Industry and Trade (ROLL IT) Program.
Completed and opened this second quarter of 2023 are the 967-meter access road connecting Barangays Villia Gamiao, San Antonio, Daramuangan Sur and Salinungan East costing P14.5 million and the 600-meter Marasat Pequeño Road connecting the town’s Munggo Processing and Packaging Center to the national highway costing P12.2 million.
“These newly-paved roads will be able to provide local farmers with faster and safer access to farm lands, processing and market centers, ensuring them with fair trade prices and broader reach,” said Secretary Bonoan.
The town of San Mateo is also an emerging producer of rice and corn in the Province of Isabela.