KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato, (PIA)-- TESDA Secretary Isidro Lapeña, cabinet officer for regional development and security for Soccsksargen Region (CORDS 12),  prodded concerned national agencies and local government units to hasten the implementation and completion of projects proposed and funded under the Local Government Support Fund - Support to Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP) in 2021.

Speaking before the members of the Joint Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (JRTF-ELCAC) XII during the task force's 25th monthly meeting in General Santos City, Secretary Lapeña emphasized the need to "fast-track and intensify the implementation of projects under the 2021 Support to Barangay Development Program."

In the same meeting, Engr. Herminia Ontoy, chief of the Project Development Monitoring Unit (PDMU) of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) XII reported that as of January 21, of the 206 LGSF-SBDP proposed projects in Soccsksargen Region,  6 are already completed, 38 are currently being implemented; 158 are on procurement process, and 4 are still in the pre-procurement stage. 

Completed projects include farm-to-market roads in Barangay Luayon in Makilala and Barangay Tuael in President Roxas; expansion of level 3 water system in Barangay Perez in Kidapawan City and assistance to indigent individuals and families in Barangay Biangan in Makilala and barangays Linangcob and Marbel in Kidapawan City. All these are located in Cotabato Province.

The remaining four projects in the pre-procurement step, Ontoy noted, are rural electrification projects, also in Cotabato Province. 

"We are delighted to know that we have already completed some of the 206 projects, both infrastructure and non-infrastructure. However, it is notable that our percentage of accomplishment could have been higher. We are now in the year 2022 and it is expected that new batch of projects for the new NTF ELCAC priority barangays shall be funded for implementation. Considering these, we must have the urgency of implementing and completing the projects on exact timeline," Sec. Lapeña told the members of the JRTF-ELCAC XII. 

In 2021, 62 barangays across Soccsksargen Region  were included among the 822 barangays in the country that received allocation of P20 million each under the LGSF-SBDP of the NTF-ELCAC under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's Executive Order No. 70. 

Out of the P2.4 billion LFSF-SBDP fund, the 62 barangays in Region XII  proposed 206 infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects. 

Among these projects are 176 infrastructure projects comprised of 68 concreting, upgrading or opening of farm-to-farm roads; 67 construction, rehabilitation, or improvement of level I, level II and level III potable water supply systems ;  19 construction of health stations;  9 school buildings; and 13 rural electrification projects.  

The remaining 30 projects are non-infrastructure items such as capacity development related to agricultural development with distribution of livestocks, technical vocational capacity development to include provision of toolkits,  and assistance to indigent individuals and families. (DED/PIA XII)