No cash doles, but projects in Leyte

LEYTE—Farmer Felix Baron is proud of his work. Baron, 69, helped rehabilitate a farm-to-market road in his village in Anahawan town, a fifth-class municipality (annual income: P15 million-P25 million) in Southern Leyte.

A father of eight children, he said he was happy to be part of the work force that restored the road in Barangay Poblacion, a farming community of 515 households close to the town proper.

The project would not only spur development in his barangay, but it also provided him the much needed money to feed his family, even if his work only lasted 12 days.

The Farm-to-Market Road Rehabilitation Project in Anahawan is one of the 31 projects undertaken by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) regional office in four cities and 31 municipalities in Leyte and Southern Leyte from January 2010 to February 2012.

Total cost of the projects reached close to P100 million, including counterpart funds.

Counterpart funds

GIZ data showed that Germany and the European Union (EU), through its Food Facility, contributed P73,743,658. Counterpart funding reached P15,891,823 from the project proponent, P7,679,082 from the DA, and P315,000 from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

GIZ, a federally owned enterprise that supports the German government in the field of international development cooperation, has been cooperating with Philippine partners for more than 30 years in strengthening the capacity of the people and institution to improve the lives of Filipinos.

Andreas Lange, chief adviser of GIZ’s Enhancement of Food Security and Environment and Rural Development Program, was optimistic that the 31 projects would be sustained by the beneficiaries because of the willingness of local officials and residents to make these well maintained.

“The willingness to maintain the structures is quite high because the community itself has built the structures,” Lange said.

The Anahawan road, for instance, was 6 kilometers long from Barangays Poblacion to Kagingkingan. The project started in March 2011 and was completed in December 2011. A symbolic opening was held on March 12.

Total cost reached P4,863,652, using funds from GIZ and the EU (P4.2 million) and the municipality (P600,000).

Costly transport

Since about a decade ago, farmers in Poblacion and Kagingkingan had been traveling and transporting their products by foot or on their carabao- or cattle-drawn sleds because the road was dilapidated.

Motor vehicles, including motorcycles, could not pass the narrow, uneven road surface. Cost of moving farm products then was very expensive.

With the initiative of the municipality, the road repair was included in the list of GIZ projects. Residents also welcomed the project because it also provided them temporary jobs.

Almost 500 households were directly involved under a cash-for-work concept. Workers were paid P200 a day for jobs, such as establishing and rehabilitating roads, irrigation systems and other rural infrastructure.

At least 30 percent of the workers were women, according to Mayor Roberto Loquinte.

Loquinte said that with the completion of the project, the cost of hauling farm products is now cheaper.

Road problems

GIZ also funded the construction of a side ditch for farm-to-market roads in Silago town in Southern Leyte. GIZ and the EU gave a P4.4-million grant for the project while the municipality put up a counterpart fund of P700,000.

The project was undertaken in response to the continuing problems on the road, especially during heavy and prolonged rains, said municipal engineer Eutiquio Beloy Jr.

The cash-for-work approach was also used for the project. The 20-kilometer road covers Barangays Sudmon, Mercedes, Balagawan, Tubaon, Laguma and Salvacion.

Mercedes Barangay Chair Dante Pere, 51, said 880 poor and unskilled residents worked in the project.

Hatchery project

The road also serves as an irrigation canal and supplies water to a backyard fishpond.

GIZ funded a fishpond hatchery project that covers 1,388 square meters at Barangay Libongao in Kananga town, Leyte province. It poured in P4,240,193 for the Leyte Provincial Freshwater Fish Hatchery that can accomodate 600 breeders.

The provincial government  contributed P1,066,979 and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources chipped in P74,000.

Acting provincial agriculturist Rogelio Portula said the hatchery project was started in March 2010 and was completed on Feb. 29.  “We are targeting to produce 1 million tilapia fingerlings in a year to serve the backyard fishpond operators in the province,” he added.

Kananga Mayor Elmer Codilla said the hatchery project “does not only enhance the productivity of our freshwater products like tilapia but also provides employment to our constituents here in Barangay Libongao (through the cash-for-work concept).”

Leodelyn Ansale, a member of the Silago implementing team, said that before any project was undertaken in her municipality, a barangay development plan was first prepared. Proposed projects were given priority after consulting with the residents.

The plan was later incorporated into the municipal development plan, Ansale said.

Getting the approval of the residents will ensure that the projects will not go to waste.