The RPAB members of Region V (seated from left to right: Earl Maximillan Cecilio, External Relations Officer DSWD, Melchor L. Aguilar, Chief TIDS, DTI Region V, Anastacia R. Llaneta, Supervising LTE, BLGF Region V, Dr. Elena B. de los Santos, PRDP Focal Person, DA Region V, Concepcion A. Mendoza, DENR Region V, Jose A. Cordero, Chairman, RAFC Region V, and Engr. Egan G. Nuñez, Engineer III, DPWH Region V) pose with the PPMIU members of the Province of Camarines Sur, PRDP PSO Luzon B Director Shandy M. Hubilla (standing 7th from left) and the RPCO V.
Bicol RPAB-approved I-BUILD, I-REAP projects ahead in Luzon B -Hubilla
August 20, 2014
Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) Program Support Office (PSO) Luzon B Director Shandy M. Hubilla announced that Bicol is leading among Luzon B regions’ Intensified Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD) sub-projects during the Regional Program Advisory Board (RPAB) meeting held on August 20, 2014 at Alicia Hotel.
With the RPAB Region 5’s approval of three Investments for Rural Enterprises and Agricultural and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) business plans on August 20, Bicol’s PRDP sub-projects are now qualified to secure the No Objection Letter 1 (NOL 1). According to Hubilla, this will be deliberated by the National Program Coordination Office (NPCO)-PSO on the last week of August 2014. Hubilla hopes for the issuance of NOL 1 to the RPAB-approved I-BUILD and I-REAP sub-projects in Bicol by early September 2014 in order to proceed with bidding, procurement, and awarding of project before the end of the year.
On July 30, 2014, the RPAB approved the I-BUILD sub-projects of the provinces of Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. These consist of the P219,511,442.62-worth Concreting of Pinagwarasan and Lanot Road in Camarines Norte and the P251,282,013.949-worth upgrading of farm-to-market roads in Manangle to Caima in Sipocot, Cuco to Bagong Silang in Pasacao and San Isidro to Pag-oring in Libmanan, Camarines Sur.
I-REAP projects approved by the RPAB on August 20 are the 14.9 million-worth proposed enterprise Coco Geonet Production and Coco Peat Processing Project with the Samahang Organic / Fair Trade Coconut Farmers – BQ (SOFaCoFa-BQ) as proposed proponent group (PG) of Camarines Norte, the 28-million-worth proposed enterprise Coconut Sap Sugar Processing of Camarines Sur with their new PG, the Baao Parish MultiPurpose Cooperative, and Sorsogon’s 20-million-worth proposed Pili Integrated Enterprise with the Pili Processors Association of Sorsogon Inc. as PG.
According to Hubilla PRDP allotted P60 million for I-REAP projects while more or less P600 million is available for I-BUILD projects in the region this year. He further challenged the Provincial Program Management and Implementation Unit (PPMIU) and the Regional Program Coordination Office (RPCO) Region 5 to optimize the P90 to P100 million allotted for PRDP I-REAP projects in Bicol next year.
In her message, PRDP focal person Dr. Elena B. Delos Santos lauded the RPAB members for their support and the PPMIUs for their persistence to accomplish the PRDP documentary requirements for the benefit of their fellow Bicolanos.
Rosanna D. Quilon, Camarines Sur Assistant Coordinator, said that she is glad that their business plan was approved by the RPAB though the challenge is to comply with all the suggestions made and to be able to submit based on timeline.
“We are happy to be part of the team that worked for the development of Camarines Sur. This will be our legacy to the farmers, that we have helped them,” she added.
Dominador O. Jardin, PPMIU head of the Province of Sorsogon, also expressed his gratitude to the DA and RPAB. “Nagpapasalamat kami dahil na-aprubahan na kami. Through DA’s encouragement, nakahabol kami, though may mga revisions,” he stated.
The RPAB is an inter-agency multi-disciplinary team composed of the DA Regional Executive Director as chairperson, president of the League of Provinces in the region as vice chairperson and the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Regional Agriculture and Fishery Council (RAFC), and the Regional Chamber of Commerce as members. One of RPAB’s functions is to review and approve I-BUILD and I-REAP sub-projects endorsed by the RPCO through an RPAB resolution for funding deliberation by the NPCO.
Luzon B cluster consists of Regions IV-A (Calabarzon), IV-B (Mimaropa) and V (Bicol). (Annielyn L. Baleza, I-SUPPORT InfoACE Unit, DA-RAFID 5)
