Around 30 members of Proponent Groups (PGs) of new Enterprise Development (I-REAP)
subprojects underwent a training on the application of geomapping and governance tools from July 13-14, 2022 in Baguio City.

The trainees came from several Farmer Cooperatives and Associations with new I-REAP
subprojects proposed for funding under the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural
Development Project (DA-PRDP).

Capacitating not only the Local Government Units, but also the PGs is part of the DA-PRDP’s initiatives in promoting and introducing the application of science-based decision support tools for resource planning, programming, and monitoring among others.

The training was intended to capacitate the PGs on geotagging and basic geomapping that they can use in developing their Business Plans. I-REAP Focal Persons from the concerned
Provincial and Municipal Project Management and Implementing Units (P/MMPMIUs) also
participated in the training.

As part of the training, discussions and hands-on workshops in taking geotagged photos using the PRDP Geocamera and processing it through the use of applications such as Google Earth and Geosetter were held.

The Resource Speaker during the training was GIS Data Officer Francis D. Dumagas from the Geomapping and Governance Unit (GGU) of the DA-PRDP Regional Project Coordination Office-CAR (RPCO-CAR).

As he introduced the tools to the participants, he shared that various programs of the
government nowadays mostly requires geotagged photos in support to their proposals, and knowing the basic skills would significantly help them in developing a more comprehensive proposal.

“I do not expect you to perfect the application of these tools in one session, but what’s important is that you were able to explore these tools, appreciate the process, and learned its application,” Dumagas added.

After the workshop activities, the participants presented their outputs as they shared their
experiences and their learnings from the two-day training.

PPMIU Ifugao I-REAP Focal Person Nazario Tuiguinay expressed his gratitude to the RPCO-
CAR for conducting such training which is really helpful to the LGU especially in planning and monitoring projects not only under the PRDP but in other agencies as well.

Trainings on the tools and innovations of the PRDP are continuously being conducted for LGUs and PGs as part of the mainstreaming initiatives of the Project. By Elvy T. Estacio (RPCO-CAR Writer)