P4B more needed for development of rural areas

Thursday, February 23, 2012

DAVAO del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario said they are proposing to acquire P4 billion more from the Mindanao Development Program (MRDP), a program funded by the World Bank (WB), for the development of rural areas in the entire Mindanao.

Del Rosario, speaking at the regular Club 888 forum at Marco Polo Hotel Davao Wednesday, said WB has already funded some P6 billion for the development of Mindanao, of which P260 million was spent as a financial assistance to Davao del Norte.

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Del Rosario said Mindanao needs another P4 billion to finance future projects especially in the development of the region's rural areas.

By rural development, del Rosario said, this include boosting food production, improving water systems and irrigation, and bridges that connect all barangays.

The funding from MRDP also helps in mitigating the effects of expected calamities now that Davao del Norte experiences flooding almost every month, according to the governor.

"In Davao del Norte, we're trying to improve good river systems to prevent flooding," del Rosario said.

The MDRP funds will also be used to prevent calamities like the expansion of riverbanks and the constructions of dikes and dams, and to make use of the excess water from the mountains for the irrigations due to continuous rain.

The governor also pointed out that since his province is intended for agriculture, they are now trying to go beyond their usual horizon by adapting multi-cropping in the farms, as varied plants will not really contradict each other if planted together in one area.

"They are complementing each other. When you plant oil palm, intercrop it with rubber," del Rosario said while explaining that plants that grow in dry lands should be partnered with another plants that grow on the same land.

This method can generate more revenue, he said.

Del Rosario also assured that despite calamities that struck his province, there's no shortage of rice supply in their area. In fact, he said, they ship out some to other cities.