Camarines Sur gets biggest chunk of fund for NPA-cleared villages

By Marlon Atun

LEGAZPI CITY---The province of Camarines Sur got the biggest allocation for the 2023 Support to the Barangay Development Program (SBDP) of National Task Force to Eliminate Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) in the Bicol region.

Camarines Sur has been allotted P535.157 million or 31% of P1.72 billion allocated to the barangays that have been cleared of New People's Army in the region.

The share of Camarines Sur will finance the 2023 SBDP projects in 81 barangays of 15 municipalities and one city at P6,606,882.17 million each barangay.

Getting the second biggest share of SBDP fund is Sorsogon province. It has been alloted with P369.985 million or 21% of Bicol's allocation and the amount will fund the projects in 56 barangays of eight municipalities and one city. It is almost identical to Camarines Norte's allocation of P363.378 million or 21% of Bicol's allotment and will finance the projects in 55 barangays of 11 municipalities.

Albay province has been allotted with P303.917 million or 18% of the SBDP fund for Bicol and it will fund the projects in 46 barangays of eight municipalities and two cities.

The province of Masbate's share amounted to P85.889 million or 5% of the total SBDP fund for Bicol and this will finance the projects in at least 13 barangays of five municipalities.

The province of Catanduanes has the least allocation of P66.068 million or 4% of the SBDP fund in the region. Exactly 10 barangays of three municipalities will benefit from the projects that will be financed by that amount.

Based on project proposals submitted by barangays to the DILG, 195 farm-to-market roads will be built in the region. This is equivalent to 37% of the total allottment for Bicol. The second priority projects are 129 water supply and sanitation facilities.

These were followed by 76 health stations, 75 rural electrification projects and 55 school building projects.

According to DILG-5, its over-all goal for 2023 is to bring about the 520 projects in Bicol. (PIA-5)