BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Three rebel-cleared remote barangays in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental got farm to market roads, courtesy of the Support to the Barangay Development Program of the National Task Force – Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict.
Brig. Gen. Inocencio Pasaporte, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, and Mayor Renato Gustilo led the simultaneous groundbreaking of road concreting projects in Sitio Balabag, Brgy. Quezon, Sitio Vinone in Brgy. Nataban and Sitio Cabagtasan, Brgy. Codcod, all in San Carlos City, on November 23.
Each rebel-cleared village is entitled to receive P20 million worth of infrastructure projects under the Support to the Barangay Development Program of NTF-ELCAC.
This endeavor will benefit the residents of the three remote barangays, especially in the transport of goods and services to the area, Pasaporte said.
Liga ng mga Barangay president Robero Tuting pledged to protect the projects, as he also hoping that the SBDP programs of NTF-ELCAC will continue.
Gustilo said that it is the responsibility of barangay officials to keep their respective villages free from the influence of the New People’s Army and its allied groups.
Pasaporte, on the other hand, said that the infrastructure projects would bring benefits not only to the recipient barangays but also to the entire province in general.
Also attending the groundbreaking rites were DILG provincial director Roselyn Quintana, Lt. Colonel J-Jay Javines, 79th Infantry Battalion commander, P/Lt.Col. Arthur Baybayan, San Carlos City police chief, among others.
Pasaporte said that barangays Nataban, Quezon and Brgy Codcod are among the rebel-cleared barangays in northern Negros that received P20 million in funds each from NTF-ELCAC Support to Brgy. Development Program (SBDP).*
