NSSDEO, Brgy. Burabud, Laoang, Northern Samar – On March 7, 2025, at the Mezzanine Floor of the Bureau of Maintenance in Manila, Mr. Gene Ryan A. Altea, Director IV of the DPWH – Bureau of Maintenance, led an engaging in-person session to prepare the CY 2025 Annual Maintenance Work Program/Preparation Budget (AMWP/PB) Preparation. This gathering aimed to meticulously plan for the repair and maintenance of our national roads, bridges, and road safety facilities.

The meeting was a productive platform designed to tackle and resolve the various concerns raised by district engineering offices regarding the Annual Maintenance Work Program/Performance Budget preparations. The objective was clear: to ensure that each district’s proposal adhere to the specific guidelines concerning the source and classification of maintenance activities, as outlined in Secretary Manual M. Bonoan’s memorandum dated January 28, 2025.

Additionally, this event included discussions on preparing the AMWP/PB for the General Appropriations Act (GAA) release and the first round of additional funding. Representatives from regional and district engineering offices participated, including Engr. Christian Dave C. Pangandoyon and Engr. Danny M. Pillado, Jr., of the Maintenance Section of this office, adding their expertise to the session.
(dpwh8/nssdeo/krf/jmp)

BASEY, Samar – An official of the local agriculture office here on Thursday said it is very realistic for areas with rice farms to sell the staple food at PHP20 per kg., especially during harvest season.

Being the first town in Samar to implement the government’s Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na program, Jesus Jabines, municipal agriculture officer, said they are willing to share the good practice with other towns in the province and even outside the region.

“With the assistance given to our farmers, such as free seeds and fertilizer, it would be easy to ask them to give back by selling rice at PHP20 per kg. In our town, each farmer who received a sack of free fertilizer, we ask them to sell a sack of their produce to poor families,” he told the Philippine News Agency.

Each bag of fertilizer costs P2,000, while a bag of rice seeds costs nearly P1,000. Some farmers get more than one bag of fertilizer and seeds. They also get incentives for production from the Office of the Mayor.

This is the fourth week that the local government has been selling affordable rice to indigent families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities in partnership with around 3,000 local farmers through the Kadiwa ng Pangulo store outside the municipal hall and in village halls.

“Those who sell rice to us get a free rice-drying net. They are also prioritized in the distribution of free seeds and fertilizers in the next cropping. This inspires them to participate in the program every harvest,” Jabines added.

Basey, a town with 4,400 hectares devoted to rice farming, is 46 kilometers away from Tacloban City, the regional capital of Eastern Visayas.

Alde Carbonida, 62, of Barangay Buscada, is grateful that the PHP20 per kg. rice is available for poor families in their town. He only earns PHP200 daily from driving a pedicab.
His family of five consumes two kilos of rice daily.

“Before the rollout of this PHP20 per kilo rice, our budget only allowed us to buy salted or dried fish for a side dish. Now, we can afford to buy meat and vegetables,” Carbonida added. (PNA)

Catarman N. Samar– The Department of Public Works and Highways – Northern Samar First District Engineering Office (DPWH-NSFDEO) has recently completed Phase 1 of the Libjo-Daganas-Old Rizal Farm-to-Market Road Project in Catarman, Northern Samar.

The initial phase of the project amounting to P14.90 million, involves the concreting of a 0.2-kilometer road aimed at improving accessibility and connectivity in the area. The scope of work also includes the excavation of 1,644.66 cubic meters, embankment works, construction of slope protection structures, and concrete box culvert.

Funded under the convergence program of the Department of Agriculture and DPWH, farm-to-market roads are vital infrastructure projects aimed at boosting agricultural productivity and rural development.

In the long run, the completion of this road network will contribute to increased connectivity, eventually linking Barangays Libjo, Daganas and Old Rizal and spur economic opportunities in the area.
(ANALIZA A. PABIA /PR)