By HENRY EMPEÑO | April 22, 2026

MASINLOC, Zambales — A P727-million farm-to-market road (FMR) project has been approved under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) to provide year-round access to upland agricultural communities near the former Coto Mines in this town.

The DA-Region III office announced the project on Tuesday, April 21, following approval by the Central Luzon Project Advisory Board (RPAB-3), and described it as a transformative infrastructure subproject that will unlock agricultural growth in the area.

Covering the 26-kilometer stretch of gravel road between Barangay Baloganon and Sitio Coto in Barangay Taltal and including the construction of 11 bridges, the mega FMR will be the longest and the largest subproject in terms of cost under the World Bank-funded PRDP Scale-Up program, the DA said.

The FMR, which was designed to address long-standing problems in accessibility and connectivity, will directly benefit over 1,500 mango and rice farmers, as well as 4,500 households in the area.

Prior to RPAB-3 approval, a rigorous feasibility study and deliberation was made by key national government agencies to ensure compliance with technical, economic, environmental, and social safeguards, the DA added.

The Baloganon-Coto road was built at the heyday of mining in the area, which produced about 15 million metric tons of refractory chromite under operation by Benguet Corporation from 1956 to 2006.

When the mines ceased operation in 2013, the road was left largely unattended, so that travel along the 26-kilometer stretch normally took up to two hours of jaunty, bone-jarring ride. Public transport to the area, as a result, had to be scheduled to just two trips a day because of poor road conditions.

The DA said the proposed improvements include concreting dilapidated and poorly graveled road sections, upgrading drainage systems, and replacing 11 steel bridges to enhance year-round accessibility, especially during adverse weather.

Masinloc Mayor Hazel Lim said the approval by DA-PRDP took three years of waiting. “That’s how meticulous they are with projects under the PRDP,” she told Masinloqueños in a social media post on Tuesday.

Lim said the earliest timetable for the implementation of the FMR project is September or October this year.

She said the DA would still have to wait for a letter of “no objection” from the World Bank before it can proceed with formal procurement.

The next step would be the bidding process, then a second letter of “no objection” to the awarding of contract to the winning bidder, and finally, the notice to proceed and actual physical implementation of the project.

The PRDP is a six-year, World Bank-funded national project undertaken by the DA to develop a modern, climate-smart, and market-oriented agri-fishery sector. It aims to increase rural incomes, improve farm productivity, and enhance market access through climate-resilient infrastructure and enterprise development in partnership with local government units.

The current PRDP Scale-Up program, with 148 subprojects and some P24 billion in funding, was introduced in 2023 to expand on the success of the original PRDP set in 2013-2023.

The DA said that upon completion, the P727-million Masinloc FMR will significantly reduce travel time and hauling costs and enable local farmers to transport their produce more efficiently, thereby improving farmgate prices, minimizing post-harvest losses, and increasing overall agricultural productivity. ▲