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Mitsuhiro Ito, first secretary for agriculture at the Japanese Embassy in Manila, and Jun Watanabe, Philippine representative of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) handed downed the Japan-funded project dubbed as Mindanao Sustainable Settlement Area Development (MINSSAD) to Agusan del Sur Governor Valentina Plaza in a simple ceremony held at the Provincial Training Center in Patin-ay, Prosperidad town. Felix Aguhob, agrarian reform regional director, said MINSSAD is a development package providing infrastructure work, agricultural and environmental support, basic social services and institutional development interventions. He said that the program is being implemented by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR)
Aguhob added it is an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan of Japan funded by Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC).
Gov. Plaza, on the other hand, explained that the program aimed to alleviate poverty and spur economic growth in the settlement areas in towns of Bunawan, Prosperidad, San Franciso, San Luis, Talacogon and Veruela.
Plaza said that six barangays in Bunawan town, two in Prosperidad and five in Talacogon are beneficiaries for the construction of farm to market roads, school buildings and bridges, He said at least four barangays in Bunawan and three in San Luis are beneficiaries for school buildings and farm to market roads.
Ito and Watanabe also witnessed the ground breaking ceremony of Del Rosario Jumbo Bridge in Veruela.
The project is part of a total loan amount of 6,516 billion yen signed on May 30, 2001. (Alden Pantaleon / MindaNews)