THE Department of Agriculture (DA) recently inspected the Daligdigon-Paiton Farm-to-Market Road in Talaingod, Davao del Norte, in preparation for its rehabilitation under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
Approved after project deliberations in 2024, the road upgrade will cover around 7.7 kilometers, starting in Barangays Dagohoy and Palma Gil, and will include a 90-meter bridge. The P267-million project, funded by the World Bank through the PRDP with counterpart funding from the Provincial Government, aims to improve access for Indigenous farmers in the area.
The road services around 854 hectares of agricultural land, where members of the Ata-Manobo and Mandaya communities primarily rely on farming for their livelihood. However, poor road conditions, especially during the rainy season, make it difficult to transport their produce to markets.
Ginela Lagare, president of the IP Women’s group in Barangay Dagohoy, shared how the community has long struggled with the rough roads.
"Mahatagan na gyud unta nig kasulbaran. Unta ma semeno na ni amoang dalan, kay ang panginabuhian diri puro lang gyud na pag-uuma (We hope this will finally be given a solution. Hopefully, our road will be cemented, since our livelihood here depends entirely on farming)," she said.
Datu Kalapanit Anil, a tribal leader, added that farmers’ income barely covers transport costs and that poor access also affects emergency medical situations.
"Maong nang maglisod gyud me diri. Diri pod sa bukid, kung naay masakiton, kasagaran mamatay kay dili maabot sa hospital tungod sa kalisod sa among dalan (That’s why we really struggle here. In the mountains, when someone gets sick, most of them die because they can’t reach the hospital due to our poor road conditions)," he said.
Representatives from the National Project Coordination Office (NPCO), Regional Project Coordination Office–Davao (RPCO-Davao), Davao del Norte Provincial Project Monitoring and Implementing Unit, and the Talaingod LGU conducted the inspection on July 29. RGP