The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has completed a total of 2,167-kilometers of farm-to-market roads (FMR) nationwide from 2016 to 2018, Secretary Mark A. Villar announced.
Secretary Villar said that transfer of goods and services has significantly improved in hard to reach areas in the country with the construction and improvement of P23.34-billion worth of projects identified by the Department of Agriculture (DA).
“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. This is part of our government’s continued effort to support the agricultural sector,” Secretary Villar said.
In Zamboanga del Norte, six (6) FMRs were completed within two months in 2018, including the 700-meter Barangay Panabang FMR in the municipality of Liloy, worth P7-million; and the 500-meter Barangay Tan-Awan FMR in the municipality of Baliguian, amounting P5-million.
Meanwhile, community members of Katipunan Village in the municipality of Silago, Southern Leyte are now benefitting from the concreting of the 4-kilometer Catmon FMR in 2017, 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,” added Secretary Villar.