LEGAZPI CITY – The Department of Agriculture’s (DA) advisory board approved a total of P727.78 million-worth subprojects proposed under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) during a meeting held on March 13 this city.

The Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB), an interagency multidisciplinary team constituted and mandated to review and approve plans, feasibility studies, detailed engineering designs and program of works for PRDP funding, approved two enterprise development (I-REAP) subprojects and one infrastructure development (I-BUILD) subproject with increase in cost. These are: the P3.84 million-worth Coco Geonet Production and Coco Peat Processing Project in Sta. Elena, Camarines Norte, the Camarines Norte Pineapple Trading and Processing Project in Labo, Camarines Norte which costs P7.73 million, and the 7.37-kilometer Concreting of Junction Sabangan-Datag East Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) in Caramoran, Catanduanes amounting to P126.99 million.

The RPAB also approved four subprojects with changes in technical data namely, the 3.44-kilometer Concreting of Poblacion to Pulongguit-guit FMR which costs P70.57 million, the 4.33-kilometer Concreting of Cumadcad-Canjela FMR in Castilla, Sorsogon worth P73.62 million, the 8.3-kilometer Rehabilitation/Improvement of Hacienda-Rawis FMR in Tabaco City, Albay amounting to P198.69 million and the 15-kilometer Concreting of San Agustin to Sawang FMR in Aroroy, Masbate worth P246.30 million.

As per PRDP guidelines, repackaging and cancellation of subprojects and re-obligation of budget source require the RPAB’s approval. In addition, the Board is mandated to recommend appropriate actions to resolve operational and administrative issues as well as ensure that policy directions are followed in PRDP planning and implementation. The RPAB is chaired by the DA Regional Executive Director and is composed of regional directors of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP), and the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC).

The RPAB-approved subprojects will be subjected to the unified re-run of the PRDP’s prioritization scheme on March 31 which covers the P8.2 billion I- BUILD budget from CY 2018 to 2020. Priority subprojects will still undergo the regular PRDP review process. ### (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-RAFIS V)

Tabaco City Mayor Cielo Krisel Lagman-Luistro discusses how the 8.3-kilometer
Rehabilitation/Improvement of Hacienda-Rawis FMR would benefit the 14,846
population of San Miguel Island in Tabaco City who are engaged in agriculture and
livestock production, fishery, trade and commerce. (Photo by Hermito Antonio
Privaldos, DA-PRDP RPCO V InfoACE Unit)