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Official Publication of the Philippine Information Agency Bicol Regional Office, in cooperation with the RIAC-REDIRAS - RDC Bicol



Tuesday, February 3, 2015

P600M worth World Bank-funded rural dev’t projects underway in Bicol

By Sally Atento-Altea

LEGAZPI CITY, Feb 3 (PIA) – A team of officials from the World Bank (WB), Department of Agriculture and other government agencies is conducting the 1st Review Mission of sub-projects under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) in the South Luzon cluster which include the Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol regions.

PRDP Project Director for South Luzon Shandy M. Hubilla said, of the total project cost amounting to US $671.59 million or about P29.65 billion, more than P600 million has been allocated for the Bicol region.

“The PRDP is one of the biggest project initiatives in agriculture and fisheries with total project cost of US $671.59 million or about P29.65 billion to be implemented in 16 regions in the country.  In Bicol, more than P600 million was allocated for subprojects to be implemented in Albay, Camarines Sur and Camarines Norte,” Hubilla said.

The mission team will look into the pace and progress of the PRDP sub-projects enrolled and proposed for funding along with problems and issues that need to be addressed.

In Albay, the PRDP sub-projects to be implemented are the Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise in Libon with project cost estimated at P7 million and the Rehabilitation/Improvement of Pistola-Tablon Road with three units bridges in Oas estimated at around P197 million.

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda said that in choosing these projects, the main product of the province is considered along with an assessment of how it can truly help the farmers.

Coconut is the highest crop produced in the province followed by abaca, rice and corn.

 “With coconut as the leading product in the province, Albay is poised to grab 32 percent from the share of Sri Lanka in coconut production which controls almost half of the total coconut production in the world,” Salceda said.

In Camarines Sur, projects underway are Coco Water Processing Technology Pilot Testing and Business Incubation Project with cost at around P6 million, upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang farm-to-market road at P51 million and Manangle-Caima farm-to-market road at P131 million and rehabilitation of San Isidro to Pag-oring Nuevo Road at P45 million.

 DA Bicol Director Abelardo Bragas said a memorandum of agreement has been signed earlier among the local government of Camarines Sur and other project partners to turn the otherwise wasted cocowater into a peso earner for the benefit of small coconut farmers.

Concreting of Pinagwarasan to Lanot Road in the municipalities of Basud and Mercedes in Camarines Norte with project cost at P212 million will also be implemented to provide transport accessibility during bad weather since there is no alternate route from Mercedes to the urban center of the province.

 “Basud and Mercedes have large production areas for pineapple and long stretch of coastal areas that serve as main source of fishery and marine products of the province and region,” Bragas said.

PRDP is a WB assisted project being implemented from 2014 to 2020 by the DA in 16 regions which aims to have at least 5 percent increase in annual real farm incomes of PRDP household beneficiaries, 7 percent increase in value of annual marketed output and 20percent increase in number of farmers and fisherfolks with improved access to DA services.  (AAN/SAA-PIA5/Albay)

 - See more at: http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/2571422950975/p600m-worth-world-bank-funded-rural-dev-t-projects-underway-in-bicol#sthash.QVejL7DW.dpuf

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