DA, DPWH begin audit of key farm roads
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. and Public Works Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon are expected to meet next week to complete their audits of farm-to-market roads (FMRs).
Besides the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Agriculture (DA) will also summon the three contractors involved in the unfinished FMRs in Davao.
These projects, which the DA regional field offices flagged, should have been completed in 2021.
“One road was really nowhere to be found, while the other still had freshly poured cement,” Tiu Laurel said.
The projects cost between P12 million and P15 million, with each FMR spanning at least one kilometer.
Tiu Laurel emphasized the critical role of FMRs in strengthening the value chain and improving farmers’ livelihoods.
“The farmers I’ve talked to during the inspection have underscored the importance of those FMR projects for their livelihood, especially in lowering the cost of production and increasing their income,” Tiu Laurel said.
To date, an estimated 70,000 km of the 131,000 km nationwide FMR requirement has been completed, aimed at linking agricultural production areas directly to markets.
Tiu Laurel said the DA will summon both contractors and district engineers of the DPWH over unfinished FMR projects in the Davao Region.
The move follows DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr.’s inspection of two out of three incomplete FMRs in the region as part of the agency’s ongoing nationwide audit.
“We will seek explanation from the Department of Public Works and Highways district engineers assigned to that area from 2021 and 2022 in coordination with Secretary Vince Dizon and his new team, as to why the FMRs are either nonexistent or only now being completed,” he said.
