Albay Representative Raymond Adrian Salceda on Sunday defended the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) significantly increased budget for farm-to-market roads, arguing that current funding levels remain insufficient to address the country's rural infrastructure crisis.
The House of Representatives more than doubled the department's original P16 billion proposal for these roads, pushing the final allocation to P33 billion for next year. The move aims to expand access to remote farming communities and accelerate rural development.
Salceda, who chairs the Special Committee on Food Security, expressed support for Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel, noting that logistics and waste account for the majority of farmers' financial burdens.
"Today, as much as 40 percent of costs for farmers are in logistics," Salceda said in a statement. "Another 30 percent of production is wasted in poor transport. If there are no access roads to markets, farmers will remain miserable."
Citing studies from the Asian Development Bank and the Department of Agriculture, Salceda noted that the Philippines still needs roughly 60,000 to 70,000 kilometers of new roads to modernize its rural network.
With the cost of building one kilometer estimated at P15 million, Salceda warned that even with P33 billion, it could take more than two decades to complete the required network.
The lawmaker also addressed concerns over potential budget mismanagement, stating that the department now follows a National FMR Network Plan.
"There will be no more scandalous insertions in the budget," Salceda said. "This means we now have a definite direction."
Meantime, Laurel described the increased funding as a "game-changing investment" that will help stabilize food supply chains and boost the income of rural workers.