MARAWI
CITY, Lanao del Sur, May 29 (PIA) --- The Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) is pushing for the inclusion of roughly P833 million
worth of projects into the budget of the Department of Agriculture’s
Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP).
Makmod
Mending, ARMM’s Agriculture and Fisheries Secretary and Regional Program
Advisory Board (RPAB) chairman said the board’s members approved the
infrastructure and enterprise development projects for three ARMM
provinces, specifically, Maguindanao, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.
“Nag-convene
ang members ng board para ma-screen at ma-approve ang mga proposal for
ARMM para maipasa sa Mindanao at national board at mapondohan na rin
(The RPAB board members convened to screen and approve the proposals for
funding by the national board),” Sec. Mending said.
Six
farm to market roads in the province of Tawi-Tawi amounting to more than
P246 million and eight similar projects in Maguindanao amounting to
more than P459 million comprise the approved projects under the
infrastructure development component of PRDP.
Sec. Mending
added, the infrastructure development component aims at improving the
links from production areas to markets to enhance the efficiency of
transporting agricultural products.
A crumb rubber
processing and marketing project in Basilan amounting to over P127
million was approved under the enterprise development component.
“The
rubber processing plant in Basilan will help in regulating the price of
rubber in the region and will generate employment in the processing
plant and in buying stations,” Sec. Mending said.
The
above-mentioned projects will roll out after deliberation and approval
of the PRDP’s National Program Advisory Board (NPAB) this year. The
first farm-to-market road project under the program was constructed in
Talayan, Maguindanao with 12.3 kilometers traversing five barangays.
The
PRDP is an upscale program of the Mindanao Rural Development Program
(MRDP) that ended five years ago. The six-year rural development
initiative is under the Department of Agriculture. It has a total budget
of P27.5 billion with project cost shared by the national government,
the World Bank and local government units.
“Because of the
success of MRDP, ipinagpatuloy ng national government ito. Ang ginawa
nila, buong Pilipinas na ang coverage at ito na ang PRDP (Because of the
MRDP’s success, the national government decided to launch a similar
program – the PRDP – but with nationwide coverage),” Sec. Mending said.
(Bureau of Public Information-ARMM/PIA-10)
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