The Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) of MIMAROPA approved a P109-million farm-to-market road project for Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro, alongside a P52-million slaughterhouse project for Narra, Palawan during its business meeting in Talisay, Batangas on December 20, 2024.

RPAB, which operates under the PRDP of Department of Agriculture, unanimously approved both infrastructure projects, a pre-Christmas development milestone for the agricultural sectors of both municipalities in Mimaropa.

The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), a flagship program funded through Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the World Bank, continues to drive agricultural modernization and rural development across the country.

The comprehensive project seeks to establish a modern, climate-smart, and market-oriented agriculture-fishery sector in rural communities throughout the Philippines. Through its integrated approach, the PRDP addresses critical challenges facing the agricultural sector by combining infrastructure development, enterprise support, and local governance enhancement.

The Pinamalayan project involves the concreting and upgrading of a 5.48-kilometer road with a 20-meter bridge connecting Barangay Del Razon to Barangay Malaya.

The infrastructure is expected to benefit approximately 10,000 residents in the two barangays by improving access to agricultural markets.

In a separate development, the board greenlit the Construction of Narra AA Slaughterhouse, which will modernize meat processing facilities and enhance pork quality in the municipality. The facility is projected to serve over 12,000 stakeholders in Palawan’s swine industry.

RPAB Chairman and DA MIMAROPA Regional Executive Director Atty. Christopher Bañas pointed out the projects’ importance in elevating farmers’ living standards.

“Our sole wish is to assist farmers, particularly in Pinamalayan, just as we do in Narra. Let’s give our farmers a meaningful gift through these beneficial projects,” Bañas said during the meeting.

The Pinamalayan local government, led by Mayor Aristeo Baldos Jr., presented and defended the road project before the board, expounding about its potential to improve agricultural product transportation from farms to markets.