THE Iloilo Provincial Government has completed the implementation of 53 infrastructure projects amounting to P242.438 million under the Local Government Support Fund-Support to Barangay Development Program (LGSF-SBDP) of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).
Provincial Engineer Romeo Andig said the Province of Iloilo was allotted P720 million in 2021 for Elcac projects.
“An amount of P634.060 million was intended for 123 infrastructure projects while the remaining P85.490 million went to capacity development projects,” Andig said.
The Provincial Engineer’s Office was the implementer of infrastructure projects while the soft projects were handled by the Provincial Agriculture Office, Provincial Cooperatives and Development Office, and the Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions (Ledip) Center.
Of the 123 infrastructure projects, 53 were completed, 65 were terminated, and five have not started due to failed bidding.
The 53 infrastructure projects were completed in 2022 and were implemented in the towns of Igbaras, Leon, Miagao, and Tubungan.
Of the total completed projects, 19 are farm-to-market roads worth P186.057 million, 13 potable water system projects amounting to P25.869 million, 18 electrification projects costing P24.137 million, and three projects involving the construction and improvement of school buildings totaling P6.374 million.
“The selection of beneficiaries was handled by the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Provincial Planning and Development Office,” Engr. Andig said.
The completed projects were then turned over to the barangays who will be in charge of the maintenance.
Andig noted that “force majeure” such as the occurrence of Tropical Storm Paeng in November 2022, which caused flooding and landslides, had rendered access roads leading to the project sites unpassable for quite some time, and unworkability of the project sites are among the factors that delayed their completion last December 31, 2022.
But the provincial engineer added that Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. has already approved an amount of P51.05 million in Supplemental Budget 1 for 2023 to fund the 27 incomplete projects.
The barangay development fund was established to usher progress and end insurgency in conflict-prone communities. It aims to improve the quality of life of residents by implementing core projects on infrastructure, health and sanitation, and livelihood. (PR)