Residents of two farming villages in Tacloban City will soon enjoy paved roads as the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) start the construction of two farm-to-market roads (FMRs) following its recent groundbreaking rites.

The DPWH starts the construction of the three-kilometer road in Barangay Camansihay while simultaneously rehabilitating the 1.4-kilometer lane in Barangay Sto. Niño.

DAR Assistant Regional Director for Administration Ismael Aya-ay, disclosed that interventions for FMRs are among the priority agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III to encourage agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) to increase their production and likewise help them ease the burden of transporting their harvests to the market.

Aya-ay explained that the role of the DAR does not end in providing land to farmers alone, but it also provides the necessary support projects, such as roads, to help farmers earn more and contribute to the economic improvement of agrarian reform communities.

“Building and improving roads will also lead to cutting the costs of transportation and logistics which would both benefit the more than 5,000 farmers and residents,” he said.

On the same occasion, Tacloban City District Engineer, Rebecca Yuse, directed the contractors of the two projects to finish them before the city fiesta in June so farmers in these areas could bring their harvests to the market.

“This road was started during the time of President Marcos (Sr.). It is only now that this road is being continued. That is why we are very grateful to the DAR that this farm-to-market road is now being realized,” said Barangay Camansihay Chairman, Adan Esmeres.

The two FMRs, with a combined project cost of P96 million, are funded under DAR’s Agrarian Reform Fund (ARF).