DA-PRDP Project Support Office (PSO) Mindanao joined the opening ceremony of the 12th World Bank Implementation Support Mission (WB-ISM) on May 24, 2021 via online conferencing.

This activity is conducted twice a year in order to present the updates of PRDP project implementation from its four (4) PSOs which include North Luzon, South Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. There will be series of virtual meetings that includes presentations of virtual site visits, components workshop, open forum, and action planning. The ISM will run until June 10, 2021.

World Bank Agriculture and Food Practice Manager Dina Umali-Deininger thanked the entire PRDP team for keeping the project moving despite the Covid-19 pandemic. She also commended PRDP for its many innovative approaches for remote supervision and for keeping on track despite all the challenges it faced.

“You have really raised the bar on project implementation, not only in the Philippines but also in other Projects in Asia. So, you are really setting a high standard for really making project implementation very effective,” said Deininger.

DA Secretary William Dar, in his message, recognized the hard work of everybody in the project for hitting its goals despite the current situation. He encouraged everyone to continue improving its services to the subproject beneficiaries in order to help them improve their lives.

“If we are to fully implement our subprojects, and change the lives of our farmers and fisherfolk for the better, we must continue to improve our services and processes as the world is ever changing, and as we gradually move towards a new way of living. It is also our responsibility to keep up with the times and offer innovative solutions on how to provide for a modern, climate smart, and market oriented agri-fishery sector,” said Sec. Dar.

Undersecretary for Operations & DA-PRDP National Project Director Engr. Ariel T. Cayanan in his opening message, congratulated everyone in PRDP for a job well done despite all the shortcomings and challenges, “this mission is the perfect time to discuss and deliberate our ways forward in PRDP in order to attain a modern, inclusive, value chain oriented, and a climate smart agriculture for farmers and fisherfolk sector.”

The highlight of today’s activity is the presentation of PRDP progress and updates on the Agreed Action of the 11th Mission presented by PRDP OIC National Deputy Project Director Shandy M. Hubilla.

Also present during the virtual meeting are World Bank Task Team Leader Eli Weiss, World Bank Consultant Agnes Deshormes, Jim Hancock, and partners from PRDP National Project Coordination Office, Project Support Offices, Regional Project Support Offices, National Project Advisory Board, officials from the DA, and oversight agencies.

The PSO Mindanao Cluster will present its cluster report tomorrow. (Joy Montecalvo)