Farmers’ agony ends as DAR inaugurates paved road

By JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA
May 29, 2025

TACLOBAN CITY – Residents of Barangay New Kawayan, a farming village north of this city, expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Agrarian Reform Secretary, Conrado Estrella III, for realizing their long cherished dream, a concrete road.

On Thursday, May 22 this year, Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Eastern Visayas Regional Director, Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, led the inauguration and turnover of the 1.4 linear-kilometer Barangay New Kawayan-Sto. Niño farm-to-market road to the two remote villages for the maintenance.

Yu stressed that construction of farm-to-market roads in remote farming villages is among the priorities of the Marcos administration and one of the nine point agenda of Secretary Estrella.

He disclosed that the P21-million road project, implemented by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), is funded under the agrarian reform fund (ARF).

Welefortes Bodaña, president of the Barangay 101 Vegetable Farmers Association shared that this has been their long cherished dream.

She explained that during rainy days before, the entire area becomes very muddy. One could hardly walk because the mud is up to here, Bodaña added pointing to her leg, just below the knee.

With the now concreted road, farmers here will no longer carry on their heads their harvests, or hire somebody to bring them to the check point, where buyers await, said Bodaña. The buyers, with their vehicles, now come to our farm to pick the vegetables, she exclaimed.

For Barangay Chairman, Rafael Manhuyod, he sees this project to bring a significant improvement in the quality of life, not only of the farmers but of all the residents in this area.

About 289 farmers are expected to benefit from this project.