LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The development of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) in the different parts of the province will continue to be funded by concerned government agencies following the assurance made by Benguet caretaker congressman and Anti-Crime and Terrorism through Community Involvement and Support (ACT-CIS) Party-list Rep. Eric Yap that the improvement of various road networks in Benguet will remain one of his priority projects that will help in enhancing rural development.
For this year, Yap, who chairs the powerful House committee on appropriations, disclosed that more or less 40 kilometers of FMRs had been funded under the annual budget of concerned government agencies which is more than the only 2 kilometers of farm to market roads that were funded under last year’s annual budget.
By next year, the lawmaker added that more than 40 kilometers of FMRS will be funded under the annual budget of concerned government agencies to help in speeding up the improvement and development of vital road networks leading to agricultural communities that will eventually contribute in ensuring the timely delivery of agricultural crops from the farms to the markets.
Congressman Yap pointed out that agriculture industry stakeholders deserve better roads to lessen the travel time in the transport of their agricultural produce from the farms and thus command a higher buying price and ensure bigger take-home income for them and their families.
Aside from the increase in the length of FMRs that will be developed and improved, the lawmaker is also working out the provision of funds for major road opening projects in a number of municipalities that will significantly improve inter-barangay, inter-municipality, inter-provincial and inter-regional linkages thus potentially increasing economic activities of the people in remote villages that had ben left out in the past.
According to him, farmers who are among the most important people in the communities should be provided with easy access from the farms to the markets through improved roads to ensure the immediate delivery of available agricultural crops that will help in stabilizing the country’s food security and ensure their better income.
Yap also claimed that the improvement of the province’s road networks will improve the province’s current second-class status to a first-class province in the coming years so that Benguet will also enjoy the benefits of being a well-developed province through the active participation of concerned government agencies, especially in the provision of the funds needed to improve the current road conditions.
The caretaker congressman emphasized he is exerting extra effort to bring to the province appropriate services and projects from concerned government agencies as part of his commitment to provide the people with genuine public.
By Hent