The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee – Technical Board (ICC-TB) has approved the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) PHP28.243-billion bridge project which will significantly reduce logistic costs and enhance market access for agrarian reform communities (ARCs).

The project, dubbed “Pang-Agraryong Tulay para sa Bagong Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka” or Project PBBM, aims to push countryside progress with the bridge infrastructure that will increase the productivity and income of at least 350,000 households.

“The DAR has so far identified and validated 354 possible sites for the bridges following close coordination with the Department of Agriculture Bureau of Agricultural and Fisheries Engineering (DA-BAFE), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and local government units,” DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III said in a news release on Thursday.

He said the project is also part of the socio-economic agenda of the Marcos Jr. administration, detailed in the Philippine Development Plan for 2023-2028.

The modular steel bridges aim to enhance mobility for ARCs, providing better logistics support, increased income opportunities and better access to social services.

Estrella said Project PBBM will not only benefit agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) but also consumers, owing to the streamlined supply chain and enhanced market connectivity that will be facilitated by these bridges.

This revolutionizing endeavor aligns with President Marcos Jr.’s vision, responding to his call for increased agricultural productivity geared towards economic growth and a better quality of life for the agriculture sector and the nation at large. (PNA)