Hinterland road breaks ground

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Hours of travel going to and from the hinterlands villages and the town proper of Janiuay, Iloilo will be cut short with the construction of a concrete pathway.

For Tatay Rodrigo, the construction of the Quipot-Barasalon concrete pathway is nothing less than a dream turned into reality.

“This is for our children and their children,” he said while witnessing the groundbreaking ceremony of the 2.74-kilometer concrete pathway project last Feb. 13, 2020.

The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), together with local officials of Janiuay and Iloilo province, led the ceremonial capsule laying in Quipot village.

With a total project cost of P17 million, the concrete pathway is part of the Forestland Management Project of the DENR. It was funded by the Japanese government, through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

FMP is a ten-year (2012-2022) Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) project that aims to strengthen forestland management in three critical river basins through the implementation of collaborative and comprehensive Community-Based Forest Management (CBFM) strategies.

Locally, FMP aims to rehabilitate the denuded forestlands of the Jalaur River Basin and at the same time support the community through Agroforestry Support Facilities such as concrete pathways, irrigation pipeline systems, concrete bridge, and hanging bridges.

The Project is expected to integrate conservation and development-oriented activities with full participation and capacitation of local communities. These include 147 People’s Organizations (POs) within the identified 24 sub-watershed areas as well as the DENR and other stakeholders.

The Quipot-Barasalon pathway has a width of 1.25 meters and its contractor Micro Asia Builders Corporation is tasked to finish the project within 270 days.

DENR-PENRO chief Raul Lorilla said the municipality of Janiuay will receive a total of PhP168,750,870 under the FMP’s Agroforestry Support Facilities.

FMP projects will also be implemented in the towns of Janiuay, Lambunao, and Calinog.

Aside from the PhP17 million Quipot-Barasalon pathway, the other projects that will be implemented are Construction of Aglobong Irrigation and Pipeline System (PhP24.4 million), Construction of Atimonan Irrigation and Pipeline System (PhP9 million), Construction of Barasalon Hanging Bridge-1st Unit (PhP12.3 million), Construction of Barasalon Hanging Bridge-2nd Unit (PhP7.2 million), Atimonan-Aglobong-Panuran pathway (PhP41.3 million), Barasalon-Canauilian pathway (PhP20.8 million), and Panuran-Sitio Aguilan-Tabulwang Access Road (PhP46.4 million), among others. (With a report from EC Garcia)