CONCRETING of a 4.7-kilometer access road in the town of Nueva Valencia in Guimaras has been completed just as the island province gears up for the return of its Manggahan Festival on May 20-22.
The project “boosts the thriving agriculture industry of Guimaras as local farmers in the municipality benefit from the improved transport of products like their renowned mangoes, cashew, and other crops to nearby markets,” the Department of Public Works and Highways said in a press release on Monday.
The P98.7-million road also provides easier access to various tourist destinations such as the Biker’s Hill Resort and Taklong Island National Marine Reserve.
For this year’s Manggahan Festival, the local government is holding a province-wide motorbike caravan on May 20 to showcase the island’s agriculture and nature sites.
An agri-trade fair will also be set up at the provincial capitol in San Miguel from May 14-22.
Guimaras products are also available online through the @ChooseGuimaras Facebook page.
In 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, the festival was cancelled and mango growers, with assistance from government agencies, had to find ways to sell some 19 tons of mangoes that were supposedly allocated for the celebration.
Guimaras is accessible through boat trips from Iloilo City. Since November last year, the Jordan Motorbanca Cooperative started serving the route using fiberglass vessels. — MSJ