CLOSE to 4,000 farmers will benefit from three infrastructure projects implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the town of Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija.
DAR Central Luzon Director Arnel Dizon recently turned over the projects to Zaragoza Mayor Lovella “Lally” Belmonte-Espiritu and said he expects the farmers to experience better life with the projects’ completion.
First among the projects is the P18.5-million farm-to-market road (FMR) that involves the concreting of a 2.6-kilometer road at barangays Santa Lucia Nuevo and Santa Lucia Viejo.
Residents of the two barangays complained of walking and traveling to and from the town proper through the said road that turn dusty during summer and muddy during rainy season.
“Hopefully, going to and from the town proper from here onward will be ‘a walk in the park’ for our farmer-beneficiaries and other residents in the two barangays,” he said.
The DAR also turned over to the local officials a potable water system and a day-care center.
They compose the P29.8-million package that the department implemented in tandem with the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project, a foreign-assisted project financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency for Zaragoza.
The local government contributed P5 million as counterpart equity for the three projects, P2.4 million for the FMR; P2.5 million for the construction of an elevated water tank for the potable water system for 216 households; and P100,000 for the day-care center that is attending to 914 children.
Earlier the DAR turned over to the Rizal town local government the P18-million FMR road, covering 5.37 km. It links barangays Canaan East and West, Sasiligan and General Luna to the town proper.
DAR-Nueva Ecija Agrarian Reform Program Officer Jocelyn Ramones said another potable water system worth P4.5 million was also provided to the Canaan West Potable Water Service Cooperative recently.