DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), recently completed farm-to-market road (FMR) projects at barangay Anis in Laoac, and barangays Talibaew, Banaoang, San Vicente in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
 
A total of 241 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and 13,710 non-ARBs from the interior areas in Laoac and Calasiao will soon experience the ease of transporting their products to the market with these government funded FMR projects.
 
Maria Ana Francisco, DAR Ilocos regional director and concurrent Provincial and Agrarian Reform Program Officer II, said the construction of FMRs is the “government’s road to people’s hearts,” as well as a testimony to the department’s commitment to serve the rural folks, especially the ARBs.
 
“The construction of these rural infrastructure projects was implemented under the DAR's Sustainable and Resilient Agrarian Reform Communities (SuRe ARCs) project with the aim to help enhance the capacity of farmers within the agrarian reform community to produce, deliver and ensure the continued supply of food in the province,” she said.
 
She disclosed that the FMRs involved the concreting of .327 kilometer (km) in Brgy. Banaoang worth P2,910,367.90; concreting .250 km in Brgy. San Vicente worth P2,911,882.74; concreting .101 km in Brgy. Talibaew worth P2,911,754.67; and concreting of .220 km in Brgy. Anis worth P4,960,194.88.
 
“These FMRs will change the lives of ARBs, (and) it will definitely bring better production and good prices for their products that will improve their income and livelihood," she added.
 
Meanwhile, DAR and DPWH convened with 5th District Representative Ramon Guico, Jr. on Monday for the discussion on the completion of the construction of FMR projects in the fifth district of Pangasinan.
 
Francisco said, “The construction of 15 FMRs, with a total project cost of P100-million, will soon benefit a total of 1,718 ARBs in the said district by enabling them to seamlessly deliver their products to the market.” (JCR/AMB/PIA Pangasinan)