The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) has paved the way for lasting change in Southern Leyte with the completion of the ‘Rehabilitation and Improvement of the Mahayahay–Manalog Farm-to-Market Road (FMR)’. Among those whose lives have been transformed is lifelong Brgy. Mahayag resident Ronelio Basa, 61 years old, who now experiences a significant shift from years of struggle to a more secure and hopeful future.
The subproject, implemented by the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte with funding support from the PRDP through the World Bank, the Government of the Philippines, and local government equity, covers almost 18 kilometers with a 0.20-meter thickness and 5-meter width. It connects agricultural areas across nine barangays within St. Bernard and Hinunangan and serves a direct road influence area of 3,128 hectares planted with coconut, rice, banana, root crops, abaca, and vegetables. The total project cost is Php188.39M.
Before PRDP’s intervention, Ronelio’s livelihood as a farmer was shaped by long travel times and high transport costs. Bringing produce to market often meant enduring muddy, nearly impassable roads and spending more on hauling than he could afford.
“𝘈𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘪 𝘮𝘢𝘰 𝘯𝘢 𝘫𝘶𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘨-𝘶𝘮𝘢, 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘯. 𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘪 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘢 (…) 𝘕𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘪 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘥 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘢 𝘱𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘢 (…) 𝘏𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘩𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘰𝘯, 𝘥𝘪 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘢 𝘶𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘰 𝘭𝘶𝘨𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 – 𝘵𝘢𝘨 𝘥𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢 𝘶𝘭𝘪 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘨 𝘣𝘢𝘬𝘵𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯. 𝘚𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘪 – 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘢𝘢𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘰 𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘥𝘢. 𝘔𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘰 𝘴𝘢 𝘗𝘙𝘋𝘗. 𝘋𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘗𝘙𝘋𝘗!” Ronelio expressed.
[Our livelihood ever since has been farming, what keeps us alive has always been farming. We can eat at ease only when we harvest something (…) Our life before this FMR has been very difficult (transportation has always been a struggle) (…) (but now since we have this FMR) our life has been easier, unlike before that whenever we travel – we travel by foot, and it takes a long time. Today we are very comfortable because even our students can enjoy its benefits when going to school since there is transportation available. Because of that I am very thankful to PRDP. Thank you very much PRDP!]
The PRDP supported road has reduced travel time for commuters by half – from 70 minutes to 35 minutes and significantly increased daily traffic from an average of 742 to 1,113 trips. Passable road length expanded from 16.50 kilometers to 31.496 kilometers, a 90 percent increase. Transportation costs for passengers and agricultural products have dropped by as much as 30 percent. And most importantly, the average market volume of farm produce rose from 10,062.50 kilograms to 12,271.34 kilograms, an increase of up to 82–100 percent, while hauling cost declined from Php50 to Php35.
These improvements allow Ronelio and other farmers to deliver crops more efficiently and at lower cost, directly boosting their income and quality of life.
Completed in July 2020, the Mahayahay–Manalog FMR demonstrates the tangible impact of the Philippine Rural Development Project. For Ronelio Basa and many others, PRDP’s intervention is more than infrastructure – it is a bridge from hardship to opportunity, ensuring that farming families can thrive and pass on a brighter future to the next generation.
