TABUK CITY, Kalinga—Kalinga continues to be granted funds for the development of its provincial road network and sustainable livelihood projects from national and international funding agencies.
Officials of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in Kalinga recently turned over a major road project to the provincial government, led by Acting Governor James Edubba, while two other road projects broke ground.
The newly improved Burayucan section of the Bulanoa-Laya-Balong provincial road, which had a project cost of P75 million under the Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces program of the DILG was turned over to the provincial government. It will help improve the accessibility of the residents in barangays Cabaruan, Balong and Laya East, Edubba said.
DILG Undersecretary Austerie A. Panadero, DILG-CAR Regional Director Marlo Iringan, DILG Kalinga Director Mayer Max G. Adong, Provincial Planning And Development Officer Flordeliza G. Moldera, and Edubba led the ground breaking ceremonies for the improvement and upgrading of the P99.5-million Cabaruan-Sucbot provincial road, and the upgrading of the P73.99-million Cabaritan-Dugpa provincial road.
The CMGP is granted to provinces that have successfully complied with the stringent criteria that include compliance to the Seal of Good Financial Housekeeping, Special Local Road Fund Completion Rate, percentage share of unpaved roads and percentage share to fair to good roads.
Edubba credited the massive infrastructure development in the province to the aggressive efforts of the provincial government led by Gov. Jocel C. Baac in linking with national and international funding agencies that support rural development efforts.
The unity and teamwork of local officials have sustained the growth and development of the province over the past several years, Edubba said.
Since Baac, who has been suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman, took over the province’s leadership in 2010, Kalinga exited the list of the top 20 poorest provinces in the country. Based on the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the province now ranks 43rd out of 83 provinces.
Kalinga is also a four-time recipient of the Seal of Good Local Governance and Seal of Good Housekeeping from the DILG.
Kalinga also received a grant worth over P1.5 billion from the World Bank-assisted Philippine Rural Development Plan (PRDP) to construct, rehabilitate, upgrade and improve various farm to market roads to allow farmers to be able to bring their produce to the market without delay.
The PRDP also funded the erection of the Kalinga Coffee Trading Center, which recently broke ground in Purok 5 of Bulanao district here, done simultaneously with the groundbreaking of the Bureau of Fisheries and Acquatic Resources (BFAR) provincial office in Purok 6, Bulanao.
Attending the ceremonies were BFAR regional director Louis June Fermin, DA-CAR regional director Lorenzo Carangayan, Kalinga Coffee Council secretary Marina G. Calandog, Office of the Provincial Agricultural Services senior agriculturist Caesar D. Lagcon, and Provincial Agriculturist Domingo Bakilan, among others.