BIZ BUZZ: Challenge accepted
It may be the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) first foray into farm-to-market road (FMR) projects, but the agency assures it is fully committed to fulfilling the task.
“That is a real challenge because galing kami (we came from) zero. We have to go to 100,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
Tiu Laurel and the team overseeing FMR projects have been meeting regularly to ensure smooth implementation, transparency and a corruption-free process.
“Again, it’s easier said than done. All I can say is we’re up to the challenge,” he told reporters.
A few months ago, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officially handed over FMR development to the DA, which will solely implement these projects starting next year.
Since then, the DA has adopted different measures to address FMR backlogs and prevent anomalies in undertaking government-funded projects.
It also announced creating a watchdog unit and developing an online portal to monitor FMRs in the pipeline and report any issues.
The DA also said it plans to bid out such projects per province to attract major companies and enter into a memorandum of agreement with capable local government units.
Can the DA rise to the challenge? Only time can tell—well, only two years left in President Marcos’ term.
