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BY GLENDA SOLOGASTOA
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Saturday, April 29, 2017
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ILOILO – Two hanging bridges and two roads will be built in barangays Hilwan and Aglonok in Calinog town.
Under the Forestland Management Project (FMP) funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the structures aim to provide coffee and cacao producers and consumers better access to markets.
“Ang importante mag-abot sa production stage ang aton mga kape kag cacao … may access ang tawo pakadto sa merkado,” said Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Raul L. Lorilla.
The projects are also in line with the provincial government’s plan to develop Iloilo as a coffee and cacao producer.
One of the access roads will connect barangays Supanga to Hilwan and the other, Caratagan to Aglonoc. The latter two barangays are where the hanging bridges will be constructed, said Lorilla.
“We will create access roads first so we can bring the equipment provided by the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highwats) for the conduct of geotechnical assessment,” the local environment officer said.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources tapped Philippine Army engineers in Western Visayas for the construction of the access roads.
Moreover, a task group will conduct a survey to determine the scope of work and costs. “We aim to start working this summer,” Lorilla said.
Aglonok is the boundary of Calinog and Valderrama town in Antique province, while Hilwan separates Calinog and Aklan province.
In 2012 Western Visayas started a farm-to-market road (FMR) dubbed “Jalaur River Basin FMP” costing P553 million.
But Region 6 was asked to expand the project to “accommodate” the excess area supposedly for an FMR in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
“They (CAR) have the target for reforestation but cannot provide the needed area of about 4,000 hectares,” said Lorilla. The expansion will cost around P200 million, he added./PN
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