The Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) CALABARZON, together with the Provincial Program Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) of the province of Batangas, held the management meeting of the PPMIU and Provincial Core Planning Team (PCPT) to discuss ongoing and pipelined DA-PRDP subprojects in the province of Batangas on October 20, 2021.

PCPT Head and PPMIU Assistant Head Engineer Evelyn L. Estigoy, EnP, PHDG-PPDC, led the discussion of the matters at hand. The Proponent Groups (PGs) involved presented and discussed their own proposals, addressing the issues and compliance of the remaining requirements of the World Bank for their respective projects.

Congressman Rico Geron also graced the meeting through virtual participation regarding the status of the Grains Handling Facility of Soro-Soro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC) in Ibaba, Batangas.

I-REAP Unit Specialist Richmond Osorio ensured a smooth workflow of the proposals in the DA-PRDP and PPMIU, as long as the requirements are submitted by the groups.

“Ang advice lang po namin sa proponents [ay] mapabilis po ‘yung submission ng documents [ninyo sa amin before] December para ma-approve [at maisama] po sa 2022 budget. Kung sino po ang makapag-submit agad ay iyon po ang mauuna”, Osorio said.

After the meeting, a continuous coordination and collaboration between the DA-PRDP, PPMIU of Batangas, and partner PGs is promised to ensure the production and endorsement of the projects.

Participants present during the meeting include DA Regional Technical Director Engineer Abelardo Bragas, representatives from the DA-PRDP RPCO Calabarzon I-BUILD, I-REAP, I-PLAN and I-SUPPORT Unit, PPMIU-PCPT of the Province of Batangas, and representatives of the proponent group AgriCare Multipurpose Cooperative, Batangas Egg Producer Association (BaEPA), as well as Soro-Soro Ibaba Development Cooperative (SIDC). (Eli Ocial, DA-PRDP CALABARZON RPCO InfoACE Unit)

Engr. Evelyn L. Estigoy, EnP leading the discussion for the meeting

Participants from DA-PRDP RPCO CALABARZON, PPMIU-PCTC Batangas, and Proponent Group representatives