NEDA Approves DAR’s PHP28.2 billion Bridge Project for Agrarian Reform Communities

Manila, Philippines – The National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Investment Coordination Committee – Technical Board (ICC-TB) has given the green light to a PHP28.243-billion bridge project initiated by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), aimed at reducing logistics costs and improving market accessibility for agrarian reform communities (ARCs).

According to Philippines News Agency, the project, named ‘Pang-Agraryong Tulay para sa Bagong Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka’ or Project PBBM, is designed to boost countryside development through bridge infrastructure, benefitting at least 350,000 households. DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III, in a news release, stated that 354 potential bridge sites have been identified and validated in collaboration 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. The project is part of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s socio-economic agenda outlined in the Philippine Development Plan for 2023-2028. The modular steel bridges are expected to improve mobility in ARCs, offering enhanced logistics support, increased income opportunities, and better access to social services. Estrella emphasized that Project PBBM will benefit not only agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) but also consumers through a more efficient supply chain and improved market connections, aligning with the President’s vision for agricultural productivity and national economic growth.