₱914M projects to benefit Mountain Province communities, farmers through better roads, access

PARACELIS, Mountain Province — More than ₱914 million in peace and development funds has been allocated for infrastructure and other projects in Mountain Province, with communities and farmers expected to benefit from improved roads, transportation, market access, and delivery of basic services.

The projects are expected to improve connectivity, particularly in geographically isolated communities, by making it easier for farmers to transport their products from production areas to markets and for residents to access schools, health facilities, government services, and livelihood opportunities.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) led the groundbreaking and turnover of project funds last week in Paracelis, with Secretary Mel Senen S. Sarmiento leading the activity.

According to reports by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) and Philippine Information Agency-Cordillera (PIA-Cordillera) published on September 15 and 17, respectively, ₱657 million was allocated to the province’s nine municipalities under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program, mainly for farm-to-market roads and other infrastructure projects.

Another ₱257 million was allocated to the provincial government for six projects, including the third phase of the Balicanao-Am-am Provincial Road in Bauko and the second phase of the Mountain Province Peace and Development Center in Mt. Data, Bauko.

Of the ₱657 million municipal allocation, Sabangan received the largest share at ₱165 million, followed by Besao with ₱100 million and Paracelis with ₱95 million.

Bauko received ₱85 million, Tadian ₱65 million, Sagada ₱60 million, Bontoc ₱50 million, Barlig ₱30 million, and Sadanga ₱7 million.

Natonin was not included in the ₱657-million PAMANA allocation. The PNA and PIA reports did not state a reason for the municipality’s exclusion, and no publicly available explanation was cited in the reports.

The nine municipalities receiving PAMANA allocations have previously been identified as areas affected by armed conflict and insurgency. The program aims to support peace-building by addressing infrastructure and development gaps in communities.

The municipal projects mainly involve farm-to-market roads and other infrastructure designed to improve mobility and access within communities, particularly for farmers who need to transport agricultural products from production areas to trading centers.

In a statement, Mountain Province Governor Bonifacio Lacwasan thanked OPAPRU and the national government for the funding, saying the projects would help bring development closer to communities across the province.

He said the infrastructure projects are among the benefits communities can experience when peace is sustained.

“We embrace peace for our people. With peace comes progress, and we all have the obligation to choose peace over insurgency so that our people can live and progress,” Lacwasan said.

Meanwhile, OPAPRU Undersecretary for Local Conflict Transformation and Peace Sustainability Wilben Mayor said infrastructure plays an important role in addressing development gaps in communities.

“Development is viewed through infrastructure. Our people grieve because of the lack of roads, difficulty to travel and difficulty to transport goods,” Mayor was quoted as saying.

He said improved roads could help reduce transportation costs and travel time while making it easier for farmers to bring their products to markets.

Mayor added that the projects were identified based on the needs of communities and validated by OPAPRU field personnel.

Once completed, the ₱914-million investment is expected to improve road access and transportation while helping connect remote communities to markets, schools, health facilities, government services, and other economic opportunities.

For farmers, better road connectivity could also mean easier movement of agricultural products, lower transport difficulties, and improved access to trading centers, while residents in geographically isolated areas could have better access to essential services.