By Emmanuel P. Solis
LEGAZPI CITY, Dec. 4 (PNA) — The Department of Agriculture (DA) Bicol Regional Office turned over Php4 million to Legazpi City Mayor Noel E. Rosal during the meeting on Wedesday of the city’s Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT) held at the Kanzo Restaurant here.
The check, handed over by DA accounting officer Hernan Elano, is the first tranche of the total Php8-million budget for the construction of a farm-to-market road in Sitio Calawog, Barangay Cagbacong at the southern part of the city.
The funding was given by the DA after the Office of the City Agriculturist submitted a proposal to the LPRAT based on the guidelines of the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BUB) approach being implemented by the national government through the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and in partnership with the city government.
Rosal said this budget is a big help for the infrastructure development of the upland portion of Barangay Cagbacong that will benefit the land owners as it will result in possible increases in the value of land in that area.
The city chief executive pointed out that this infrastructure project would hasten the transport of the agricultural products from the barangay and its neighboring villages to the downtown areas of this city and the neighboring town of Castilla, Sorsogon.
He revealed that his administration will invest more in agriculture to make local food abundant and agricultural commodities available and affordable for the daily consumption of the people in the community.
City agriculturist Jesus Kallos disclosed that Sitio Calawog is one of the best area for cacao and other root crops such as camote and cassava that will help improve the livelihood activities of the constituents in the community.
Upon completion of this project, another vacant silted areas will be developed into a 75-hectare rice field that will contribute to an abundant and affordable supply of rice in the market.
Kallos said his office is planning to put up an irrigation system in that area to make sure that there will be sufficient water to be used for farming activities in the village. (PNA)