New roads improve communities in Surigao Sur town
By Nida Grace P. Barcena
CORTES, Surigao del Sur (PIA) — The team from the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Caraga recently visited the completed subprojects in Surigao del Sur to assess their sustainability and long-term impact on beneficiary communities, including the Poblacion–Manlico–Uba farm-to-market road (FMR) in Cortes, Surigao del Sur.
Completed in 2020, the 7.2-kilometer road project significantly transformed the everyday lives of residents, particularly farmers and fisherfolk. It reduced their travel time from four hours to just thirty minutes, enabling faster delivery of goods and access to wider markets.
Jures T. Tubo, a barangay kagawad from Capandan, shared how the newly improved road gave hope for their community. “Dili na sama sa una. Karon, naa na mi access sa merkado ug mas daghan nga buyers,” he said, noting the transformation in their daily lives.
(It’s different from before. Now, we have access to the market and more buyers for our produce).
He added that beyond farming, the road also made it easier for children to regularly go to school, making a brighter future more attainable for the next generation.
As DA-PRDP continues to imprive and strengthen rural connectivities in the province of Surigao del Sur, the FMR in Cortes stood as tangible proof that when communities are given the right infrastructure, they don’t just catch up, they move forward at full speed. (NGPB, PIA Surigao del Sur)
