DAVAO CITY, MARCH 31, 2025 – RPAB approved! In a first for the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) XI, the Blaan and Tagakaulo Ancestral Domain’s (AD) subproject proposal of a farm-to-market (FMR) road in Brgy. Little Baguio, Malita, Davao Occidental, gained approval from the Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB).
“Kabalo ta, kinahanglan nila ang kalsada kay looy ilang kahimtang. (We know that this road is needed as the situation there is miserable) This will be a life-changer for them…we will discuss a project that holds immense significance for the Blaan and Tagakaulo communities,” Regional Executive Director and Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project Director Macario Gonzaga emphasized.
The Indigenous Political Structure representatives of Blaan and Tagakaulo also attended the deliberation and expressed gratitude upon the proposal’s approval.
“Pinaagi sa MIADP, naabot jud sa amoa ang programa ug kami ang napilian. Akong pasalamat sa tanan nga naa diri karon, sa mga ahensiya sa gobyerno – naaprobahan na jud ang isa ka proyekto nga walay nakababag,” Bae Lolita Danwata Labis said.
(Through MIADP, we’ve been chosen and the programs have reached us. My gratitude to everyone here, to all the agencies here – you’ve approved this project without impediment.)
The RPAB is a body responsible for approving subprojects to guide DA-MIADP’s implementation.
Chaired by Project Director Gonzaga, the board constituted of heads and representatives from relevant government agencies including the National Commission on Indigenous People’s (NCIP), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The Mindanao Development Authority (MINDA) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) were absent from the deliberation.
Farm-to-Market Road in Little Baguio, Malita, Davao Occidental
MIADP’s RPCO XI facilitated the Blaan and Tagakaulo AD’s and Local Project Management Implementing Unit of Davao Occidental’s (LPMIU) proposal of an FMR subproject under the project’s Component 2 or Resilient Ancestral Domain Agri-Fisheries Infrastructure. One of four MIADP components, Component 2 aims to build infrastructure that supports sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural and fisheries practices within Indigenous People’s (IP) ADs.
The FMR subproject eyes the improvement of the 3.6-kilometer existing gravel road located at Sitio Bolo-Bolo in Brgy. Little Baguio, leading to neighboring Sitios Kisoy and Midalas. This involves the construction of a one-lane, 3-meter-wide FMR at a 200mm thickness, with a minimum width of 0.75-meter shouldering on both sides.
To seamlessly connect the road intercepted by a shallow stream, pipe and/or box culverts will be installed with wingwall and headwall. Provisions for slope protection and drainage canals also form a significant part of the proposal as well as environmental and social protection measures.
The project cost is estimated at Php 64,078,000 million.
FMRs play a pivotal role in agricultural development, as it ensures the efficient transport of various farmers’ produce to existing markets. It also fosters economic growth within the AD, which in turn, will boost incomes and create more employment.
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