The New Face of Loboc FMR

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Created on Wednesday, 24 May 2017

“This is it”. The long wait is over.Residents along the Alegria-Cabadiangan-Candasag-Bugho farm-to-market road (FMR) can now enjoy better road network and income.

This, as the 5.46 kilometer road amounting to P56.6 million is now halfway on its rehabilitation phase. The new road is a transformation and beyond comparison from the once rocky and marshy path.

For farmer Alberto Egcalinus of Bugho, the halfway finished road ensures him of a stable connection between his farm to the market. It also saves his precious time wherein he can devote in tending his farm.

“Sauna malangan kas adlaw, dugay kaayo ka og baktas padung didto (sa merkado), inig pag-uli, udto na, ig pagtrabaho, palis na… so gamay nalang ang oras sa imong pagtrabaho”, Egcalinus said. (“Before, the long walk is time consuming. By the time I get back it’s already noontime. When it’s time to work, it’s already afternoon. So the time left is already very limited”, Egcalinus said.)

Transportation ease

Aside from the ten-minute travel time from his farm to the highway via motorcycle, residents even feel great relief that daily jeepney routes are now plying from Loboc to Tagbilaran City which opens new door for a bigger and better market opportunities of their homegrown products.

“Makapili nasad ko asa nga partikular nga lungsod mamahimo nakong matumod akong mga produkto sa saging, ug uban pang mga utanon”, he added.(Now, I have options where to market my farm products like bananas, and my vegetables”, he added.)

The daily jeepney going to and from Tagbilaran, is a relief for the community.Marilou Oganiza, a jeepney operator got enticed to buy transport vehicles with the cemented road. She said she noticed some locals are already buying various forms of vehicle soon after the road improvements become visible.

“Mahal sauna, ang plete sa habal-habal tag P50 pesos, itandi sa P8 pesos lang nga minimum na pamasahe sa jeep way labot sa karga”, Oganiza said.(“The fare before was expensive. It will cost you P50 pesos for a habal-habal (motorcycle ride), while you will only spend a minimum of P8 pesos fare for a jeepney ride. The cargoes have a separate charge”, Oganiza said.)

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Relief of schoolchildren

The road not only benefits the working adults but also the schoolchildren. The road rehabilitation has ended the long agony walks of children from home to school, and vice versa as motor vehicles are now being used to fetch and deliver them to school.

Starting a business

Residents even think of starting a small business once the other road sections undergo rehabilitation process. Some of these businesses include furniture making, coconut processing, sarisari stores, etc.The Loboc fmr is the second Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) implemented in the province of Bohol which is jointly funded by World Bank (WB), Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Local Government Unit (LGU).Bexmae P.Jumao-as Writer - InfoACE RPCO 7