A section of the Panuran pathway is shown with local people benefiting from ease of mobility and of transporting agricultural and non-agricultural products that the pathway provides.
Janiuay, Iloilo – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region VI headed by Regional Executive Director (RED) Livino B. Duran officiated the ceremonial transfer of management of Panuran Pathway in Barangay Panuran to local government units on February 16, 2023.
Joining RED Duran to grace the occasion were local government and DENR officials and people’s organization representatives, namely, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr.; Janiuay Municipal Mayor Paul Parian; Forester Eddie Abugan and Erwin Sangalang of Foreign-Assisted and Special Projects Service (FASPS); Forester Salvador C. Manglinong, Jr., Iloilo Provincial ENR Officer; Engr. Glenn S. Del Norte, Community ENR Officer of Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo; PO President Emmanuel Caspe of the Panuran Tasik Farmers Association (PATUFA); Forester Antonio Latoza, Jr., FMP Focal Person; members of Janiuay Sangguniang Bayan; and some personnel of DENR Region VI.
The 830-meter-long infrastructure was constructed through the Forestland Management Project (FMP) under its Agroforestry Support Facility (ASF) Component and was financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Fifteen of the 33 agroforestry support facilities established through the project in Iloilo such as this one can be found in the upland barangays of Janiuay. The pathway includes a reinforced concrete box culvert.
The signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) containing the terms and conditions of the transfer of management of the facility from the DENR Region VI to the local government units was delayed for a considerable length of time as it had to undergo a thorough review of a legal expert. With the facility and corresponding paper works now complete, the focus shifts to how the local government units and the communities must ensure that the completed access pathway is maintained so that its serviceability is sustained for a long period and the ultimate goal, which was to provide ease of access in transporting agricultural and non-agricultural products of the communities especially the indigenous people, is achieved. The MOA spells out the roles and responsibilities of all parties involved to make this happen. (FASPS/ Alliah Zain Delgado, Erwin Sangalang)
