A U.S.-Philippines road improvement project is inaugurated by (r-l, in pickup) U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Leslie Bassett; Pandag Mayor Zajid Mangudadatu; Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu; Secretary Luwalhati Antonino, Chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA); and Emil Sadain, Regional Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways-ARMM. The upgrading of 15.3 kilometers of provincial road traversing the Maguindanao municipalities of Buluan, Pandag, Paglat, and SK Pendatun was a collaborative project of the provincial government, the Maguindanao 2nd Congressional District Office, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) Program, under the oversight of MinDA. According to a study by the Institute for Socio-Economic Development Initiatives at Ateneo de Davao University, such USAID road projects linking multiple municipalities bring in an average return of 2.74 pesos for every peso invested, in terms of reduced transport and vehicle operation costs, and increases in the net value of agricultural produce due to quicker farm-to-market travel. ###