In the spirit of Bayanihan, residents of Gambang, Bakun, Benguet opted not to take home their wages from a Farm to Market Road Community Project and instead use their wages to lengthen the said road.

142 members of the Pakyaw Group combined their wages amounting to Php 21,000. The group was able to concrete 110 meter portion of the Sookan-Gambang Farm-to-Market Road in addition to the original 246 meters funded by the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services- National Community-Driven Development Program (Kalahi CIDSS- NCDDP).

Ambisen Tino, a procurement team volunteer and a member of the “pakyaw” group suggested the idea during one of their meetings to wit all of his fellow workers and other community members agreed.

During the planning, they decided that “pakyaw” labor is the best way to fast-track the works.

Consequently, the road was completed in 12 days contrary to about 45 days when done by licensed contractors.

Being a vegetable producing community, public vehicles and vegetable trucks are always at risk during rainy season because the road becomes slippery.

Tino said that their community has been griping about their difficulty in delivering their products to La Trinidad Trading Post so they grabbed the opportunity to help in the improvement of the road.

He added that the members of the “pakyaw” group are also beneficiaries of the road inspiring them to do free labors.

With the PhP 926, 027.74 total project cost, the provincial local government unit of Benguet provided PhP 370, 905.04 to complement the PhP 529, 747.70 Kalahi CIDSS grant. The remaining PhP 25, 375 is the counterpart of the barangay and municipal local government unit of Gambang, Bakun.

On 26 April 2016, the road was completed. Since then, the barangay has been delivering their vegetable products without so much hassle. However, they want their road to be fully improved since only the critical areas of the road were concreted.

“This initiative shows the community is really in need of this basic access infrastructure. They also realized that they have the capacity to help develop their community in their own way”, Kalahi-CIDSS Deputy Regional Program Manager Imelda Tuguinay remarked.

“Barangay Gambang has actually proven again that the community-driven development is working. They can lobby or agree among themselves how to use their resources or where to get resources,” Tuguinay added. #DSWD-CAR, SOCIAL MARKETING UNIT, JASMIN P. KIASO with reports from Fauline Busil-ac