Ang Pahayagan

BALER, Aurora — Communities from two neighboring towns in Aurora are working together to monitor a road subproject that will improve access to farms and nearby communities.

Local officials and farmers from Barangay Salay in Dipaculao and Barangay Kadayakan in Maria Aurora joined the Citizens Monitoring Tool (CMT) Training for the 3.75-kilometer Salay–Kadayakan Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) under the Department of Agriculture–Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Central Luzon.

The training aimed to strengthen community participation in ensuring that the road project is implemented according to approved plans, standards, and timelines. Participants formed Barangay Implementing Teams (BITs) tasked with monitoring construction quality, safety, environmental safeguards, and compliance with project specifications.

Community members were also trained in basic contract review, documentation, and long-term operation and maintenance planning. The activity introduced the Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM), which allows residents to formally raise concerns, and the Applied Geotagging Tool (AGT), a mobile application used to document construction progress through geotagged photos and videos.

With guidance from DA-PRDP and local government engineers, the BITs conducted an actual site inspection where contractors presented ongoing works and committed to cooperating with community-led monitoring.

Once completed, the Salay–Kadayakan FMR is expected to benefit nearly 400 households across five barangays, including 95 farming families. The road will serve an influence area of 581 hectares, mostly agricultural land planted with coconut and rice, and will replace the existing gravel and earth road that has long limited transport and access.

The project is expected to improve the movement of farm produce and enhance daily mobility for residents in both communities.

📸 PRDP Central Luzon