MAKILALA, North Cotabato, Philippines – For fruit grower Alan Diaz and many other farmers in this part of the South, bringing their produce to the market from the farms had always been a challenge.
Not anymore. These fruit growers are now reaping the benefits of the government’s nationwide bridge infrastructure program that started during the time of President Fidel V. Ramos.
Diaz said his main produce of pomelo and other fruits can now be easily transported to the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, Davao, and General Santos City with much ease because of the road and bridge networks that connect the town to the markets.
Today, Makilala as well as its neighboring city of Kidapawan, are known for being the new fruit and vegetable baskets of Mindanao. The rich volcanic soil from Mt. Apo that gives nourishment to the fertile grounds made it possible for both Makilala and Kidapawan City to grow famous fruits such as pomelo, mangosteen and bananas.
A former forested and unknown barangay, Makilala was incorporated as a town in 1954 and has since then risen from obscurity and threat of rebellion when the nationwide bridge program began in 1994. Since then Makilala never looked back and other towns adjacent to it have also grown by leaps and bounds, thanks to the bridge program of the government.
With a population of at around 75,000, Makilala is now earning more than P100 million and dubbed by the Department of Finance a first-class municipality.
The Municipal Development Office said their agricultural lands are mostly devoted to rubber, rice, coconut, coffee, banana, vegetables and famous fruits such as durian, marang, rambutan and mangosteen. To date, other vegetable products including potatoes are now being introduced in some barangays near the border of Davao del Sur province. The potatoes are now being grown there exclusively for a fastfood chain.
Industries in Makilala have grown by leaps and bounds like the rubber industry, woodworks and agro-industrial products. The STAR was told that major tire maker Firestone has set up buying stations and processing firms in the area, encouraging more farmers and tree growers to shift to planting rubber trees.
Diaz said his town mates are now shifting to crops needed by industries like rubber. He said most of them are now growing rubber trees because of its profitability.
Other major firms that have been realizing the potential of this part of Mindanao are Dole-Stanfilco which is engaged in cavendish banana production as well as rubber processing companies like Standeco, Farma, MRDI, Pioneer, LASRI, MRI, and Davco. A major wood processing company RNF Summit has also set-up operation in the area.
What is unique about Makilala and Kidapawan’s bridges is the fact that they not only link these areas to the outside world, they are also being converted into parks. The lush forest that surrounds these bridges and the clean crystal clear creeks offer a relaxing respite to residents and even tourists.
One particular bridge is the Saguing bridge, a bridge that connects Makilala to Kidapawan, where the surrounding area was converted into a picnic ground-cum swimming area, with the viee Mt. Apo as an excellent backdrop. Other known bridges in Makilala are Lamitan 1 and 2, Cabilao bridge, Crusher bridge, Malabuan, Bulatukan and Poblacion, among others.
Makilala is now on the map not only because of the plentiful harvest it produces but also due to the numerous bridges and road systems that made it possible. The Ting’Udo Festival celebrates a bountiful fruit harvest. The festival coincides with the foundation anniversary of Makilala and is highlighted by a fruit festival.
Kidapawan City has also its share of fame. It is now a 1st class city and is the capital of North Cotabato. It has since evolved into a favorite tourists destination, especislly during late October to December and in the summer, when thousands of tourist climb the majestic Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak.
Catalyst for growth
The President’s Bridge Program is a parallel intervention to fasttrack the provision of infrastructure development support aimed at addressing the country’s priority bridge requirement of more than 15,000 bridges as identified by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
The Fast, Versatile and Reliable (FVR) bridge project may well be considered as the forerunner of the various programs under the President’s Bridge Program implemented under the administration of then President Ramos.
Former Vice-President Teofisto T. Guingona, Jr. became the first chairman of the President’s Bridge Program after he signed the RP-UK Bilateral Protocol Agreement with UK Minister Lady Baronness Chaulker to provide steel bridges under highly concessional financing terms in the rural areas.
The PBP has spanned four Administrations and since inception never had any COA adverse report. It was even commended with a 2nd Place Award in November 2001 by the Government Auditors Confederation for Best ODA Performers, for speeding up transportation within the country’s 7,107 islands, linking these islands with one another and ensuring the quicker flow of passenger and commodities to expand trade and hasten agricultural development.
Kidapawan City’s welcome arch
PBP was conceived in 1994 and has since evolved to address the isolation of towns and cities, reduce the costs of transport for both the agricultural and fisheries sectors and thus reduce trading layers to reduce the prices of their commodities, stimulate development in the interior, and link up the urban centers with the countryside.
As determined by the NEDA, the country needs to construct more than 13,000 bridges spanning 170,000 lineal meters. The then Ramos administration entered into a deal with the United Kingdom to jumpstart the program in 1994, and Guingona eventually chaired the PBP to oversee the quick construction of bridges. The PBP was popularly known as the Fast, Versatile and Reliable Bridge Program.
The success story of the PBP has encouraged the Aquino Administration to conduct further studies with an end in view of continuing the program since its various components, especially after the JICA-funded, locally-funded and even the French-assisted projects have either proceeded apace or have been completed before deadline, thus saving precious money and allowing additional work to be done.
Modular bridges: fast, efficient and reliable
Recent typhoons brought havoc to the country’s major bridge system particularly in the provinces north of Luzon, and recently, a bridge in Pampanga.
The introduction of modular bridges encouraged the Department of Public Works and Highways to either replace or repair these destroyed bridges using a modular bridge technology first introduced by British firm, Mabey & Johnson (M&J).
The modular steel system used by M&J through Mabey Universal, represents a leap from the steel truss technology rendered obsolete by advances in metallurgy and the use of robotics to build the spans as championed by the French company Matiere.
An examination into the records of the projects shows that the technology used by the UK firm and the French had been favored by European nations, and the British military has already stockpiled the modular steel used by Mabey Universal while the French used the Eiffel-Matiere unibridge.
These modular steel units can handle loads of up to 80 metric tons (MT) and can withstand up to 100 million vehicle cycled for a century. On the other hand, the steel trusses used by Balfour Cleveland of the UK and Wagner Biro of Austria could only handle 25 MT, and are capable of withstanding the heavy load of US Abrams and German Leopard tanks even as they can be installed within 30 minutes.
The technology used for the PBP projects is the same for the permanent bridging requirements of Switzerland, Slovenia, Germany and many countries worldwide since they feature anti-skid coating that makes the bridge resistant to cracking and shrinkage, a plus for a tropical country with an average of 25 storms.
What sets the Matiere bridges apart is the fact that they do not collapse, unlike the Colgante Bridge and the spans in Tarlac, since they were made using advanced technology with carbon added to the steel to ensure strength and durability under Philippine conditions.
In the long run, the use of the French bridge system would redound to long-term savings for the Aquino government since the Matiere spans would last longer than the steel trusses. - By Mary Ann Ll. Reyes
