City officials supported the proposed opening and concreting of Purok 8 to Purok 12, Irisan farm-to-market road (FMR) project of the Department of Agriculture (DA) subject to compliance to all requirements.
Under Resolution No. 001, series of 2022, city legislators stated that the proposed Irisan FMR project traverses part of the property of the city from Purok 8 to Purok 12 where the city government recognizes the vital importance of the road and that it is willing to assist in the road-right-of-way acquisition, allocation of budget for the perfection of the conveyance of title of the said right-of-way, planning, construction, inspection and monitoring of the same.
Further, the city also assured its support in the operation and maintenance of the road after it will be turned over to the city.
The council added that after validation of the portion of the city-owned property covered under the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) Social Development Center which shall be used for the FMR, it shall be considered part of the required city’s counterpart of not less than 10 percent of the project cost.
Earlier, the Cordillera office of the DA informed the city government that the proposed Irisan FMR was verified feasible by the agency but it needs further submission of the other requirements to support the project’s inclusion in their FMR registry and for funding.
At the same time, the council requested the heirs of Kiwas to donate to the city part of their private property that will be affected by the proposed opening and concreting of this FMR.
Under Resolution No. 002, series of 2022, the body claimed that part of the proposed FMR traverses the private property of the heirs of Kiwas and that the affected portion of the property is necessary to be donated and transferred and conveyed in favor of the city for the fulfillment of the requirements for the said project.
Republic Act 8435 or the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act of 1997 provides that the construction and upgrading of FMRs are one of the priority infrastructure interventions with significant impact in increasing agricultural productivity and reducing losses by Filipino farmers.
Further, Section 52 of the said law mandates the DA to coordinate with the local government units and the resident-farmers and fisherfolk to be able to identify priority locations of FMRs to take into account the number of farmers and fisherfolk and their families who shall benefit therefrom and the amount, kind and importance of agricultural and fishery products produced in the said areas where the projects will be constructed.
One of the conditions in the grant of funding for the construction and improvement of FMRs is that the proposed roads will be beneficial to the farmers living within the community that will be traversed by the project to ensure the immediate transport of their produce from their farms to the nearest markets.
