After years of traversing rough trails and muddy paths, farmers in Barangay Banban now have a concrete road linking their produce to the market.
The 1.9-kilometer Banban–Bannauan–Guidegued Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) was officially inaugurated on May 7, 2025 after months of construction that wrapped up ahead of schedule.
Work began on November 27, 2024, and was completed by February 12, 2025. Final inspection took place on March 7 to certify its quality and durability. Funded by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) through the Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF), said road project came with a PHP 29.85 million price tag.
But for the farmers and residents of Banban, the project’s value lies in what it unlocks – access, mobility, and long-delayed progress.
Governor Elias C. Bulut Jr. and Congresswoman Eleanor C. Bulut-Begtang backed the project from the ground up and worked with DAR to guarantee the road’s completion. DAR Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III also extended support, calling the project part of a larger effort to bring government presence to underserved communities.
The new road is expected to ease transport of agricultural goods, while also improving access to health services, schools, and other basic needs, the gaps that have long shaped daily life in the area.
For Arsenio Tumbali, chairperson of the Banban Farmers Agriculture Cooperative, it is a change that farmers have waited on for years.
“Dakkel la unay iti panagyaman mi kada Cong. Leah ken Gov. Butsy iti tulongda kadatayo amin ditoy, lalo datayo a mannalon. Saan tayo unay a marigatanen ta naiyawat daytoy a proyekto a naaramid para kadatayo,” he said.
For Banban and its neighboring sitios, this is now the sign that development is finally reaching communities that once felt left behind. By Diocen Tolentino
