
What was once a rough, unpaved road in the interiors of Baganga is now making a difference in uplifting the lives of the residents in the area. The recently completed NHJ-Barangay San Isidro Farm to Market Road, is a project of the Davao Oriental 1st DEO that traverses the Barangays of San Isidro, Campawan and Mikit.
For communities thriving on agriculture, residents in these Barangays are now transporting their product to the market with ease without compromising the quality of their produce According to a resident, the said road prior to its concreting not only resulted to a slow pace in development, but also sowed fear among the travelling public. “Sang-awon kay mahadlok kami moagi kay basin madisgrasya kami tungod sang karaat ng kalsada, lubak-lubak pa gayod,” (Before we were afraid to travel because the road was accident-prone), said Reynaldo Guiwan, a long-time resident in the area.
The PhP 9.4M project was funded by the Department of Agriculture and was undertaken by R. Semilla Construction and Marketing. Construction began in April 2015 and was completed on July 27 of the same year.
The concrete road serves as the only link of the three Barangays to the town proper where goods and agricultural products are being sold. It has paved the way to the development and progress of the three Barangays by strengthening the commerce and trade in the area. It also provides better access for people wanting to visit the Curtain Falls in Barangay Campawan thereby strengthening the local tourism industry. Surely, when towns and communities are connected and being provided a safer and more convenient way of transportation, it also creates more opportunities and serves as a bridge towards progress.