PROGRESS and development will soon be felt by residents of the far-flung village of New Tuburan in Tigbao, Zamboanga del Sur.

Lieutenant Colonel Jo-ar Herrera, 53rd Infantry Battalion commander, said the New Tuburan village has received a P20-million road concreting project through the government's Barangay Development Program (BDP).

The BDP is the flagship program of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), which was conceptualized to finally address insurgency by bringing sustainable solutions and basic services to communities in need.

Herrera said Zamboanga del Sur Governor Victor Yu, the Provincial Task Force (PTF)-Elcac chairperson, led Friday, October 29, the groundbreaking ceremony signaling the start of the implementation of the 1.3-kilometer road concreting project in New Tuburan village, Tigbao.

Yu was joined during the ceremony by Herrera, Tigbao Mayor Eleazar Carcallas, the Municipal Task Force (MTF)-Elcac chairperson, and Zamboanga del Sur first district Representative Divina Grace Yu.

The 1.3-kilometer road is from Purok Maragang to Purok Sayote in New Tuburan village.

The New Tuburan village is a previous conflict-affected barangay and was declared "clear" from the communist insurgents influence through the Army's Community Support Program in September 2019. (SunStar Zamboanga)