World Bank Philippines consultants expressed optimism the farm-to-market road subproject in Barangay Gupitan, Kapalong, Davao del Norte will hit the target date despite localized delays.
Heavy rainfall and inclement weather condition caused by the shear line interrupted the concreting works of the P136-million Sitio Kapatagan – Sitio Mangkay farm-to-market road with bridge component, financed by the WB-funded Mindanao Inclusive Agriculture Development Project (MIADP).
The subproject started last January and is set to be completed on December this year.
Yet, the Bank’s Co-Task Team Leader Paula Beatrice Macandog is optimistic with the plan to make up for the lost time in the early stage, with the closer monitoring of the Local Project Management and Implementation Unit (LPMIU), the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO)-XI, and the Community-Based Monitoring and Evaluation Team (CBMET).
“As expected… we learned of delays sa start-up. But, it’s good to know that there is a plan to catch up on the delays... We’re confident despite the delays that the subproject will be completed in time and of good quality,” she assured.
The WB team’s visit to the project site scheduled last Monday, February 23, 2026, was canceled when the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) notified about the high risk of landslides and flooding in the area due to intermittent rains.
Instead, the Bank advisors met with the members of the MIADP LPMIU, RPCO, Project Support Office (PSO), engineers of the subproject contractor MAER Summit Konstrukt Co. and the IP leaders at the DNSTC VIP Clubhouse in Tagum City to assess the progress and quality of the subproject implementation.
They stressed the Bank’s general approach in utilizing "results-based approaches" that connect funding directly to outputs in order to ensure the successful implementation of subprojects.
The experts also noted the commitment of the provincial government, while emphasizing some improvements in terms of capacity building, quality standards, monitoring and timeliness.
”Kudos to the province. They seem to be very committed to the subproject… The province has employed dedicated workers on the ground... There are areas of improvement that we’ve seen as we’ve discussed today. But, we think with the level of commitment the project will be implemented with good quality and on time,” Macandog said.
She also reiterated MIADP’s significance as the first Word Bank project that is solely dedicated to improving the quality of life of the Indigenous People (IP) communities.
