“This is the most challenging time and the most interesting because you have achieved a lot already so this is now really to try to bring it over to the next phase so that everything runs smoothly. Now we have to make them work.”

Frauke Jungbluth, the World Bank Task Team leader for the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), wrapped up the Bank’s sixth Implementation Support Mission to the PRDP South Luzon Cluster on May 23-25 by posing a challenge and encouraging the Project team.

For this run of the Mission, the World Bank team together with the National Office and Project Support Office (PSO) of the cluster visited the municipality of Roxas, Palawan, the only municipality in the country having all types of subprojects of the infrastructure development (I-BUILD), enterprise development (I-REAP), and Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Along with the two-day site visit and inspection, the team held dialogue with the concerned project beneficiaries, local government units (LGUs), and other stakeholders of I-BUILD and I-REAP subproject sites on May 23. The sites include the Construction and Upgrading of Nicanor-Zabala-Jolo Farm-to-Market Road (FMR), Palawan Cashew Processing Center (PCPC), and Seaweeds Nursery, Production, Marketing Project.

The same activities were conducted by the team on May 24 in the four GEF subproject sites in Roxas namely: SMMT Green Grouper Culture Project, Grouper Culture in Floating Net Cage, Community Based Green Grouper Livelihood Support Project, and Live Green Grouper Production.

During the plenary and group discussion on the last day of the Mission, Jungbluth recognized the cluster’s achievement in the fourth year of Project implementation. She emphasized the need to assess the progress and sustain gains.

The World Bank team also lauded the good practice of PRDP tools: citizen monitoring and business process review. Dominic Aumentado, World Bank Senior Procurement Specialist, underscored the need to consistently practice citizen monitoring in the I-BUILD subprojects and ensure all stakeholders are on board especially in strategizing maintenance plan.

In terms of I-REAP implementation, Douglas Forno, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Institutional Specialist, highlighted the business process review (BPR) as an excellent initiative pioneered by the cluster that enhances the key competencies of the proponent groups (PGs) of PRDP enterprises. Aside from developing the key areas of Finance, Organization Development, Marketing, and Operation through technical training sessions, PRDP South Luzon PSO Deputy Project Director Shandy Hubilla, accentuated the need for feedback and follow through to assure the organization mature into a full blown enterprise. “We have to spend time with them and we are talking about four key areas, four competencies. For the enterprise to work, the organization needs to manage the enterprise as an organization. There lies the bigger challenge,” he added.

Moreover, the cluster is working on bridging the technical knowledge gap of the field experts, the LGUs, and the PGs of I-REAP and GEF subproject sites to ensure the beneficiaries are adept to sustain the operations. Regional Director Antonio Gerundio of MIMAROPA Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) shared their efforts in bridging this gap by working closely with the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and maximizing other media such as the school-on-air. Forno likewise underscored the need to strengthen the partnership of the DA with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the latter’s important role in resolving various challenges in the field.

Director Hubilla also proudly presented the key accomplishments of the cluster as of May 21, 2018. Compared with the last World Bank Mission in December 2017, the cluster increased its disbursement rate for I-BUILD and I-REAP subprojects by 27% and 35%, respectively. Jungbluth commended this accomplishment but also accentuated the importance of maintaining good quality subprojects as the cluster achieves its disbursement target. She also reminded the cluster to carefully incorporate gains from the PRDP’s good procedures and practices to the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Plan for a wider DA operating mechanisms. ### (Rio Christine Bustamante, DA-PRDP South Luzon PSO InfoACE Unit)

MIMAROPA RPCO Regional Executive Director Antonio Gerundio (right most) explains the region’s efforts in bridging knowledge gap between the field experts, the LGUs, and the PGs of I-REAP and GEF subproject sites. Together with him are PRDP NPCO Director Engr. Cirilo Namoc, World Bank Task Team Leader and Lead Agriculture Economist Frauke Jungbluth, PRDP South Luzon PSO Project Director Engr. Arnel De Mesa, and PRDP South Luzon PSO Deputy Project Director Shandy Hubilla (right to left from Dir.Gerundio). (Photo by Leira Vic Colongon)

The I-REAP team as well as other component and unit representatives of the PRDP South Luzon and NPCO discuss updates and concerns on the Project’s implementation during the breakout session of the sixth World Bank Mission. (Photo by Leira Vic Colongon)