THE National Government has poured in P331.8 million worth of infrastructure projects providing a boost to the economic development in the municipality of Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte.
Mayor Julius Lobrigas of Siocon municipality said the projects included concreting of farm-to-market-roads, P127.7 million; port expansion, P81.1 million; and, construction of bridge, P123 million.
Lobrigas said the funding of the projects came from the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) project of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Zamboanga del Norte Provincial Government.
The farm-to-market-road concreting covers a length of 12.8 kilometers of all-weather gravel roads in nine barangays namely Andres Micubo Jr., Pangian, S. Cabral, Bulacan, Matiag, Suhaile Arabi, Lituban, Siay, and Makiang.
Some of the farm-to-market-road concreting projects are ongoing while some have yet to start.
The concreting of the farm-to-market-roads will boost agricultural production and uplift the living conditions of the farmers, according to Lobrigas.
Gravel roads could not last long period of time especially during rainy season.
Siocon is primarily an agricultural town with farming as the major source of livelihood and is considered as one of the largest rice granary of Zamboanga del Norte.
Siocon, which consists of 26 villages, is a first class municipality in Zamboanga del Norte with 41,637 population as of the 2010 census.
Lobrigas said the P81.1 million port expansion projects in the village of Santa Maria and P123 million construction of Mendiola Bridge are ongoing. (Bong Garcia/Sunnex)