TANAY, Rizal (PIA)-- Barangay Sta. Ines in Tanay, Rizal will benefit from P 20M worth of infrastructure and repair projects through the Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP).

National and local officials take part in the ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony at the Barangay Sta. Ines Covered Court this November 12.

Tanay Mayor Rex Manuel Tanjuatco says in his welcoming remarks that the ceremony coincides with the celebration of the town's 415th founding anniversary.

Mayor Tanjuatco adds that the needs more additional roadwork projects for the benefit of locals especially in towns like Sta. Ines which requires locals to cross several rivers from the town proper.

"If we can have concreted roads from Barangay Cayabu to Sta. Ines, that would be a great project. During storms, locals will still be able to move and will not be isolated," says mayor Tanjuatco.

"The concreting project of farm to market roads will speed up the travel not only of Sta Ines locals but also those who want to visit the town. Sta Ines will then be more connected to other barangays," says Vice Governor Reynaldo San Juan Jr.

Vice Gov. San Juan, representing Rizal Governor Rebecca "Nini" Ynares, adds that the road construction will also result to easier transportation of goods, stronger local industries and more accessibility for tourists. 

SBDP is a program under the initiative of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)

Department of the Interior and Local Government 4A Regional Director Ariel Iglesia says that the SBDP program aims to give P 20 M worth of funding for selected communities to empower local communities as a way to combat the influence of communist rebels in remote areas. 

P 10M will be used for stone masonry reconstruction for the side protection at Lanatin River which was damaged during Typhoon Ulysses in Nov. 12, 2020, exactly one year before the groundbreaking ceremony.

A P 7M farm-to-market road along the boundary of Barangays Sta. Ines and Tinucan and a P 3M one-storey health center are also included in the infrastructure program.

"We hope that the project does not end at a groundbreaking ceremony alone but we also expect for the participation of the community and stakeholders," says Director Iglesia.

National Security Council Deputy Director General Usec. Damian Carlos, NTF-ELCAC, representing Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, states the government through the NTF-ELCAC and the SBDP is set to resolve basic societal issues used by communist rebels to gain support.

Usec. Carlos adds that the gov't is currently defending the NTF-ELCAC's funding in order to continue funding initiatives such as the SBDP. (GG)