TABUK CITY, KALINGA – The city’s youngest barangay has exemplified the traditional finnachang or ab-abfuyog, usually practiced during times of great need as residents of Barangay Lacnog West pooled fund to repair the potholes along the road traversing the barangay.
Said cultural practice is similar to the time honoured Filipino tradition of ‘Bayanihan’ or community volunteerism.
According to Kagawad Cariño Basali, the whole community gathered last May 16 and they agreed to prioritize the repair of the farm-to-market road but due to lack of fund, they decided to voluntarily buy loads of gravel to fill up the potholes.
Kagawad Sanchez Olya-on said everybody in their community donated from their hearts and that nobody was forced to give money against their will.
“Nu sinu iti maka-kaya ket isu iti agited, ada iti 2-4 household ket nagla-uk tapnu gumatang maysa nga load (gravel) ken dagijay makakaya ket tiggaysa met,” Olya-on said.
Olya-on added that since they started their project, they purchased at least more than 40 loads of gravel and the plan to buy more.
“Kurang pay nga talaga ta jy maysa load ket halos haan umanay para iti maysa nga dakkel nga abut, imbag ta ada met iti nagdon-donate nga hardware store idi naamwan da iti ar-aramiden mi,” he said.
Basali said that there is a need to fix the road because for several reasons; first, it is too narrow for two large vehicles to pass thru; second, it causes accidents, especially during rainy seasons; third, drivers of rice traders refuse to go to the barangay to collect their harvest because of the road condition; fourth, when traders do come, they buy the harvest at lower price; lastly, tricycle drivers charge very expensive fees just to ferry them home from the junction.
Basali said that the concreting of their road had been a project of the provincial government during the time of then Governor Jocel Baac and that the road had already been surveyed by the PLGU but until concreting starts, they opted to fix what they can for the time being.
He added that City Mayor Darwin Estrañero informed them that the city government had allocated funds for the widening and riprapping of the road, for which they are very grateful.
Lastly, Basali said that their project is far from complete and that they would greatly appreciate donations to augment funding for the project.
Previously, Barangay Lacnog West had been featured in Tabuk Life for their practice of Fil-filayon, when they equitably distributed a donated squash amongst themselves, giving priority to those who need food the most. The barangay, together with barangay Lacnog East, augmented the fund given to them by the city government to ensure the separation of their barangays, which was ratified on February 22, 2020.
By Edward Joseph Gacuya
