BCDA, JHMC urged to allow Farm to Market Road project

City officials appealed to the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) to allow the immediate implementation of the proposed farm-to-market road (FMR) project in Purok 1, Happy Hallow barangay to pave the way for the development to flourish in the said part of the city.

Under Resolution No. 456, series of 2021, signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, local legislators stated that the proposed farm to market road in Purok 1, Happy Hallow is for public purpose which shall benefit barangay residents who are depending on farming as their primary source of livelihood.

Earlier, Happy Hallow Indigenous Peoples Mandatory Representative (IPMR) Joselito Dizon wrote the members of the city council seeking assistance for the immediate implementation of the proposed construction of the FMR in their community since was denied by the BCDA and JHMC as it is within the property of the corporation mandated to oversee the former military bases that were turned over to the government.

Happy Hallow barangay is among the 15 barangays in the city identified by the City Agricultural and Fisheries Council (CAFC) where agricultural and livestock activities are being undertaken.

According to the council, the Cordillera office of the Department of Agriculture (DA-CAR) has allocated the amount of P12.5 million for the proposed project concreting of Upper Purok 1, Happy Hallow FMR to be implemented by the Department of Public works and Highways–Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO).

The council underscored that residents living in the barangay deserve to benefit from well-paved roads to immediately transport their agricultural produce from their farms to the market to avoid unnecessary damages to their products that would significantly lower the buying price of the same.

The City Veterinary and Agriculture Office (CVAO) and the CAFC are continuously looking for ways to empower residents in identified agriculture barangays to be actively involved in the production of crops as a source of livelihood.

The CVAO has been strongly advocating the practice of urban gardening among residents not only in congested barangays, but, also in areas with available spaces for the production of agricultural crops to help sustain food self-sufficiency in the urban areas aside from providing additional sources of livelihood for the people.
Further, the CVAO has also embarked on the aggressive production of organic agricultural crops that will provide the residents with stable supply of healthy crops to promote healthy lifestyle among the people in the city considering the clamor of concerned government agencies for the production of chemical-free crops. – Dexter A. See