(RAYMUND ‘MONMON’ C. UY FACEBOOK)
TACLOBAN CITY — Residents of Barangay Kalilihan in Calbayog City are expected to gain better access to education, transportation, and livelihood opportunities following the completion of a new school building and a concrete farm-to-market road in the remote community.
The projects were formally turned over to barangay officials during a joint ceremony held in Barangay Payahan, with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Samar and the city government of Calbayog leading the turnover.
DILG Samar Provincial Director Judy Batulan and Calbayog Mayor Raymund “Monmon” Uy led the ceremony for the completed 2024 Support to the Barangay Development Program (SBDP) school building and the 2024 Unprogrammed Appropriations (UA) SBDP road opening and concreting projects.
The turnover formally transferred the operational ownership, management, and maintenance responsibilities for the completed facilities to the barangay government and other designated local stakeholders.
Kalilihan village officials, led by barangay chairman Raul Fajardo, accepted responsibility for the completed projects, while the principal and teachers of Kalilihan Elementary School took custody of the newly constructed school building.
The new school building provides students with a permanent and more durable learning facility, replacing temporary learning spaces with a structure designed to withstand the challenges posed by the local environment.
The completed road opening and concreting project, meanwhile, transformed a previously unpaved route into a concrete farm-to-market road, improving mobility within the barangay and facilitating the transport of agricultural products.
Before the road project was completed, Barangay Kalilihan could only be reached after a three- to four-hour trek from major transit points. The improved road is expected to reduce travel time and make it easier for residents to access essential services and transport farm produce to markets.
The projects form part of the national government’s rural development efforts to improve access to basic services and infrastructure in geographically isolated and disadvantaged communities.
For residents of Kalilihan, the new school building and road represent improved access to education and mobility in a community that has long faced challenges because of its remote location.
(ROEL T. AMAZONA)
