Farm-to-market road to address ‘insurgency’ in NegOr
DUMAGUETE CITY – The newly inaugurated Hilaitan-Trinidad concrete farm-to-market road in the hinterlands of Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental, is expected to address the problem of insurgency and boost the economy in the area.
The Hilaitan-Trinidad farm-to-market road was inaugurated on Thursday and was facilitated by the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) at Bgy. Trinidad in Guihulngan City.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, said on Friday that the opening of the road “brings several positive impacts for the people apart from being a deterrent to the activities of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA).”
“The opening of the road has created an enabling condition for livelihood and economic development activities,” he said.
At the same time, this will facilitate and speed up the delivery of government services.
“The road was in such poor condition before that a person had to pay a ‘habal-habal’ or public motorcycle-for-hire – P500 for a ride,” Brig. Gen. Pasaporte pointed out.
It will act as a deterrent to the problem of insurgency and to the “communist terrorist groups” (CTGs) to recruit from the local populace in the so-called “Geographically Isolated and Disadvantageous Areas” of Guihulngan, Pasaporte said.
The farm-to-market road is approximately 18.5 kilometers and connects Barangays Hilaitan, Maniak, and Trinidad.
It was sponsored by the World Bank and supported by the PRDP.
Pasaporte said the area serviced by the road used to be a “rebel lair” of the CPP-NPA, but in 2020, Bgy. Trinidad was “cleared” of the insurgency following sustained operations through the Army’s Community Support Program.
Pasaporte, Gov. Roel Degamo, Guihulgan Mayor Guido Reyes, Engr. Jose Albert Barrog – PRDP deputy project director, local officials, representatives from the Department of Agriculture (DA), the Philippine National Police (PNP), and other stakeholders were present during the inauguration. Philippine News Agency
