Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) completed a local road at barangay Murcon in Llanera, Nueva Ecija.
With the infrastructure implemented by DPWH Nueva Ecija 1st District Engineering Office, transportation of people, products and services has become faster and easier.
Bernardo Calalang shared that his family and neighbors experienced a lot of inconvenience before the concreting of the road.
According to the 78-year-old resident, their tricycle often undergoes repair due to frequent breakdowns caused by the poor road conditions.
“Buhat noong manirahan ako rito, wala pa ‘yung kalsada na ‘yan kaya mahirap ang daan, baku-bako… talagang naghihirap ang mga tao. Ngayon malaking ginhawa na dito sa amin kasi wala na ang baku-bako. Wala nang gaanong nasisirang sasakyan. Kami nga ay may tricycle, halos linggo-linggo nagpapagawa kai noon, pero ngayon [baka] abutin na ng taon bago masira,” Calalang said.
District Engineer Armando Manabat said the length of the project may be short at 0.4415 kilometers but it will have a big impact on the residents especially the farmers and fishmongers in the area.
“Given the situation where the residents are almost reliant in agriculture, the newly constructed road in barangay Murcon not only provides a safer way for their daily mobility, but it also boosts the livelihood of the end users because they can now easily transport their goods to the market centers with lower costs and lower risk of transportation problems,” Manabat added.
Aside from producing rice and vegetables and planting fruit-bearing plants as a means of ensuring their basic necessities, residents also rely on the buying and selling of catfish for additional income which they source from a fishpond business located in the same barangay.
Manabat said that with the constructed road, locals will enjoy the timely delivery of fish supplies to nearby areas and municipalities.