MANILA -- The municipality of La Paz in Agusan del Sur has partnered with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to provide better access to potable water there.

Mayor Michael Lim said the limited source of potable water was one of the problems of the town ever since.

He bared that the DILG’s P14 million Local Government Support Fund-Provision of Potable Water Supply (LGSF-SALINTUBIG) Program project is now ongoing.

He also noted that there is an ongoing P4 million potable water supply upgrading project. Communities from barangay Osmena, Sr., Poblacion, Villa Paz, Sagunto and Panagangan stand to benefit from the construction of a level III potable water system.

Mayor Lim said they also had to hire a consultant as well to help them assess and address the problem.

“Hopefully by next week we will start the drilling and test the quality of the water system,” he told Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar during the Network Briefing News on Wednesday.

The local chief executive said that studies for the project were positive, with three identified areas as rich sources of water.

La Paz is a first-class municipality with 15 barangays in its jurisdiction. It is an agricultural-based economy, with products such as rubber, cacao, corn, and rice. They are currently developing and increasing the production of rubber, initially establishing a nursery that will provide seedlings to farmers.

Mayor Lim also noted that farmers there have managed to have clients outside of Agusan del Sur, including Davao, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, and Surigao provinces.

They are now planning to establish a processing center that will help increase the market value of their products. (PCOO)