CARRASCAL, Surigao del Sur, Philippines – Farming activities in the far-flung villages of this town is expected to be boosted with the construction of a farm-to-market road project.

When completed, the P13.7-million road project will be officially turned over to the local government unit (LGU) here on December 20, and is expected to benefit local farmers here, and those in neighboring areas.

The Provincial Agrarian Reform Office (PARO) said the farm-to-market road project was funded under the Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project (ARISP III) through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in association with the LGU here.

Local officials said the project involves the rehabilitation and improvement of the 1.702-kilometer farm-to-market road in Barangay Adlay.

The officials also said that this accomplishment is another milestone for the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) being the lead agency of this project, in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) as the implementing agency.

With this partnership, the government was able to assist in the development of the Adlay Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) that provided convenience and comfort to the residents, especially the local farmers and rural traders, for the delivery of their farm products to the nearby market, and other municipalities in the province.

In another development, concerned about the living condition of the poor farmers in the Province of Dinagat Islands, the DAR started to distribute Certificates of Land Ownership Award (CLOA), in an effort to increase farm production.

Dinagat Islands has a population of more than 125,000 in the seven towns, with agriculture as their main source of living.

Seeing the need for government assistance, the national government through the DAR office had mobilized officials and personnel for the implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), which paved the way for the distribution of the titles, including other development opportunities for the province in the Caraga Region.

At least 36 farmers from Cagdianao town, 29 farmers from San Jose, and 29 from Dinagat town, became recipients.

As this developed, Dinagat Islands provincial and municipal officials expressed their gratitude to the DAR for its CARP program.

The DAR officials also assured the Dinagatnons that more land, and more opportunities are expected to arrive in the newly created province.

Meanwhile, a total of 18 new Tour Guides received their certificates during the Caraga Regional Tour Guides Assembly (CARTOGA) and graduation ceremony that was hosted by the Region-13 office of the Department of Tourism (DoT-13) in Butuan City.

DoT-13 Director Leticia Tan said the need of more tourist guides is prompted by the increasing tourist arrivals, both foreign and domestic, and development of more tourist spots located at the various areas in the region – especially in the provinces of Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte.

Tan said that in Surigao del Sur and Surigao del Norte, almost 20 new tourist destinations were discovered this year, which included the “paradise island” in Siargao, where game fishing and surfing are held.

Present during the awarding of certificates to the new Tourist Guides were regional directors and representatives of national and regional line agencies of the government, and local government officials led by Butuan City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante Jr.

In Agusan del Sur, the municipal government of Esperanza recently conducted an enforcers’ training regarding the smoke-free ordinance, in its quest of pushing the implementation of a tobacco-free environment.

Esperanza is known to be an environmental champion in Agusan del Sur due to its environmental protection programs – specifically on its Ecological Solid Waste Management Program (ESWMP).

The enforcers’ training is spearheaded by the Municipal Health Office, and the Sangguniang Bayan, with Delma Legaspi, a nurse, assigned as coordinator on healthy lifestyle of the Department of Heath (DoH) in the Cagara Region.

Esperanza has been implementing the Anti-Smoking Ordinance for several years already, and is recognized as a “White Orchid Awardee” by the DoH last May 31.