THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said it has won technical approval to build bridges that will improve access for agrarian reform beneficiary (ARB) communities.
In a statement on Thursday, DAR said a technical board under the National Economic and Development Authority’s Investment Coordination Committee has endorsed the P28.23-billion bridge project.
“DAR has so far identified and validated 354 possible sites for the bridges,” Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III said.
Mr. Estrella added that the project “will not only benefit ARBs but consumers… owing to the streamlined supply chain and enhanced market connectivity that will be facilitated by these bridges.”
He said that the projects will be executed in collaboration with the Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and local governments.
The project, known as Pang-Agraryong Tulay para sa Bagong Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka (Project PBBM), will build modular steel bridges in various provinces to provide bridging for farm-to-market roads.
The modular bridge project will result in the construction of about 10,500 linear meters worth of bridges.
DAR said it is pushing for “countryside progress” with infrastructure that will increase the productivity and income of about 350,000 households. — Adrian H. Halili
