Caraga: The Department of Agriculture's Philippine Rural Development Program (DA-PRDP) has provided an update on the implementation of 22 approved infrastructure projects and three enterprise development sub-projects in the Caraga Region, valued at PHP4.6 billion and PHP374.6 million, respectively. In an interview on Tuesday, Rene Morales, deputy project director of the DA-PRDP in Caraga, noted that these ongoing sub-projects, initiated in 2014, are expected to be completed by 2029.
According to Philippines News Agency, of the 22 infrastructure sub-projects, seven are located in Surigao del Sur, totaling PHP1.04 billion; five in Surigao del Norte (PHP929.1 million); three in Agusan del Norte (PHP861.9 million); three in Dinagat Islands (PHP833.2 million); one in Butuan City (PHP262 million); and three in Agusan del Sur (PHP718.1 million).
One of the three enterprise sub-projects, valued at PHP44 million, is allocated for Surigao del Norte, while the other two, costing PHP330.6 million, are in Surigao del Sur. 'As of May this year, four PRDP infrastructure sub-projects are actively ongoing, another one is in the procurement stage awaiting awarding, while the remaining 17 are under pre-approval status but have been validated,' Morales said.
The four ongoing sub-projects consist of one in Dinagat Islands valued at PHP340.9 million, two in Surigao del Norte worth PHP202.22 million, and one in Surigao del Sur costing PHP209.9 million. 'The pre-approval status means we are just waiting for some documents and other technical requirements from the local government units. After their submission, these projects will be processed for implementation,' Morales said.
The implementation of these sub-projects is part of the PRDP's Scale-Up program, which aims to improve farmers' and fisherfolk's access to markets and enhance their income through selected agrifishery value chains. Among the infrastructure projects, nine farm-to-market roads (FMRs) totaling 60.25 km. are valued at PHP2.03 billion; nine FMRs with bridges covering 59.68 km. (PHP2.4 billion); two potable water systems serving 9,137 households (PHP69.1 million); and two value-chain projects (PHP138.8 million).
These enterprise sub-projects will also offer commodity support to the agrifishery sectors in the region, including abaca, banana, bangus, cacao, cassava, coconut, coffee, rice, tuna, and seaweed.
