Davao oriental: The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) announced Thursday that the Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) has approved a PHP286.5 million project to rehabilitate and upgrade an 8.5-km farm-to-market road in Davao Oriental. The road project will connect Barangay Mainit in Cateel to nearby Sitio Cabasagan in Boston, both in the province.
According to Philippines News Agency, the project, funded through the PRDP Scale-Up program, will upgrade the existing route with durable pavement and add two 92-meter bridges to provide safer, more reliable passage for residents, farmers, and traders. Traffic on the route is expected to increase by about 4 percent each year as accessibility improves.
Davao Oriental Governor Nelson Dayanghirang stated that the project will directly benefit approximately 3,000 residents, including over 900 farmers and fisherfolk. Travel time between the two municipalities is expected to decrease from 25 minutes to around 10 minutes, allowing faster and more efficient movement of goods and services. Dayanghirang expressed gratitude to DA-PRDP for its ongoing collaboration with local government units, emphasizing the importance of the project in strengthening rural infrastructure and enhancing livelihoods.
Local farmers are anticipated to benefit from lower transport costs and reduced product losses during delivery. Hauling costs are expected to decrease by 18 percent per sack and 35 percent per bundle, while transport losses are expected to drop from 0.95 percent to 1 percent. The upgraded road will also open up nearly 23 hectares of extra farmland within the next two years, supporting crops such as cardava banana, abaca, cacao, and coconut.
Additionally, the project is expected to create employment opportunities during construction, providing 69 skilled jobs and 164 unskilled labor positions. In total, around 4,285 residents are expected to benefit, including 903 indigenous peoples (IP) and 3,382 non-IP community members. The project's economic analysis indicates solid financial viability.
