SALAY, Misamis Oriental — Teofilo Ubatay Jr., 53, grew up in barangay Membuli in the slope portion of Salay town burdened by a rugged road that has made it impossible for farmers like him to earn sufficiently.
“The road’s poor condition has been the problem of our village ever since. Even small trucks cannot reach near our farm areas because it is rocky and the terrain is uneven,” Ubatay said.
He recalls that farmers would carry their products like bananas, which is commonly grown in the village, like a relay, and haul it on either a makeshift carriage known as karosa pulled by carabaos or carried by horses.
“It was difficult. The task was laborious and it takes hours before our products reach the market,” he said.
But the concreting of a new farm-to-market road (FMR) in their village, which was completed in May last year, the burden of transport woes has been lifted off the shoulders of farmers like Ubatay and Caculan.
“We were able to really make use of the road and it has helped us a lot in transporting our products from the farm to the market since trucks can now enter near our farm areas,” Ubatay said. (Jay M. Rosas)
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