FAMILIES of agrarian reform beneficiaries in a barangay in Quezon province will soon manage their own potable water supply through the Community Managed Potable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (CPWASH) project of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

Ma. Gemma A. Esguerra, DAR-Quezon II Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II, said that the members of the Mabaang Bamban Didiclim Farmers’ Association Inc. (MBDFA) in Sitio Mabaang, Barangay Bamban, signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with DAR to implement the CPWASH project in the area.

Esguerra said that the CPWASH Project is a DAR innovative approach project, in partnership with the local government units (LGUs), which provides safe, clean, and accessible water for the families of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the countryside.

Esguerra added that the implementation of the CPWASH project in Quezon II is the 10th project since its implementation in 2013. It is estimated that 500 ARB households across the province have already benefited from this project.

“For this year, MBDFA will be the recipient of the CP-WASH project, where more than 80 ARB households and residents from barangay Bamban will benefit,” Esquerra said.

Esguerra further disclosed that the project involves an estimated amount of P135,000, wherein the DAR will provide the para-engineers with logistical and technical skills training, while the barangay LGU and MBDFA will contribute manpower and labor.

“The MLGU is expected to provide the materials and support to facilitate the replication of the project in other areas which need potable water,” she added.

Meanwhile, Bamban Vice Mayor Liwanag, on behalf of Mayor Luis Oscar T. Eleazar and Tagkawayan LGU, expressed his gratitude to the DAR for this initiative, stating that the project also falls under the priorities of the municipality to provide water security.

Based on the buy-in session and site validation, the identified water sanitation facilities are to be installed in Sitio Mabaang, barangay Bamban including three bio-sand filters and three iron-removal filters.

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Cory Martinez