THE Provincial Government of Zamboanga Sibugay has allocated P260 million for the concreting of a 20.55-kilometer farm-to-market road for the towns of Payao and Titay.
Engr. Venancio Ferrer III, provincial development and planning coordinator, said the farm-to-market road to be concreted in Payao covers 15.22 of the 20.55 kilometers, while the remaining 5.33 kilometers is in Titay.
He said the Payao farm-to-market road will traverse seven barangays, namely: Guintolan, San Isidro, Balungisan, Bulacan, Katipunan, Kulisap, and Poblacion. The project is worth P186.5 million.
Ferrer said the road to be concreted in Titay is worth P73.5 million and traverses barangays San Antonio, Dalisay and Pulidan.
He said funds for the implementation of the two projects will come from the Conditional Grant Matching Program, formerly known as the Konkreto at Ayos na Lansangan ang Daan Tungo sa Pangkalahatang Kaunlaran (Kalsada) project of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Governor Wilter Palma said the concreting of the farm-to-market roads is aimed to spur economic development in the beneficiary-barangays and nearby areas.
Mayor Joeper Mendoza, for his part, said "the project will finally answer our long wait to improve the access road of our town."
At present, the 15-kilometer stretch is a "challenge for all motorists," as it "hinders the development of trade and commerce" of Payao. (VoxPop Philippines)