‘Double funding’ of Sagada farm roads hound officials

Top government agencies urged: Investigate 

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province --- Issues of “double funding” of the so-called “Bottom-up Budgeting” projects of this tourist town are hounding officials implementing these.  

Critics here cited the Ato-Engan farm to market road starting from Sitio Ato from the Besao-Sagada provincial road built from funds sourced from Dept. of Interior and Local Government through BuB listing 2013 and 2014, Pamana and Cordillera Highland and Agricultural Management Project  (CHARMP).

Complaint on alleged double funding was revealed by farmers and residents along the said FMR which reached the National Alleviation Poverty Commission (NAPC- DILG).

They urged concerned government bodies to investigate sources of the funds and if these were indeed budgeted for the road project.

The amount of  P500,000 was first  allotted in 2013 for the Ato-Engan road followed by a P1.3 million from  BuB listing in 2014.  

Other funds which included those from PAMANA and CHARMP were implemented for opening of the road.  

This, as building of retaining walls adjacent a farm to market road here at Ato-Engan was recommended by participant-members of civil society organizations.

They made the recommendation in recent training on monitoring sponsored by the DILG provincial office and local government.

Participants were from CSO beneficiaries of municipalities of Sagada, Sabangan, Tadian, and Bauko and Besao who availed of  BuB projects for 2013 and 2014.

This, as owners of adjacent lot owners of Ato- Engan FMR complained  their lots were scraped for said  FMR without construction of  retaining walls posing  vulnerability to landslides.

"We donated our private lots for the farm to market road. Our properties should also be protected from possible landslides with the construction of ripraps", a lot owner said.   

They said need for retaining walls along stretch of the FMR beginning from the opening to the end of the road.

It was learned ripraps or retaining walls were not included in the budget of said FMR.

The monitoring body composed of participants from  Bauko  said  public consultation should be done before  the making of project proposals and beneficiaries to confirm if there are changes in a project.

Said group from Bauko also monitored the P300,000 improvement of  Dagdag FMR with earlier project  designed for the continuation of the existing  Dagdag FMR but eventually discontinued due to non-consent of  affected lot  owner. Said project fund was  eventually used for improvement of drainage canal on same road.  

The group also recommended that Dagdag LGU take charge of monitoring drainage canal to prevent clogging.

Meantime, P2 million sourced from BuB 2013 for potable water supply project was implemented with the laying of pipes from the intake tank at Palidan Bangaan to barangay tanks Patay and Ambasing and Antadao .  

Initial Boasaw waterworks irrigation project was  sourced from  P36 million sourced from P18 million PDAF of  Sen. Teofisto Guingona 111 and P18 million from  CHARMP bid in December 2011.

The monitoring group from Besao participant- CSOs asked why there was yet no water to reach beneficiaries of Sagada.

They also noted damaged pipes at Antadao due to a road widening project prompting the  monitoring group to comment contractor should be  responsible in  restoring the damaged pipes.

They also noted there was lack of coordination among beneficiaries and they be responsible in maintaining waterworks.

Other monitoring groups were CSO participants from Tadian and  Sabangan who monitored the technical training on  furniture making  and microenterprise development on post-harvest preservation-dehydration.