The Regional Project Coordinating Office (RPCO-8) seeks to equip its local government unit (LGU) partners and other stakeholders with ample knowledge on the functional results-based monitoring and evaluation (RBME) to ensure efficient and effective implementation of the project.

“For sure, under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP), we will learn new and much better ways of doing things relative to program/project implementation particularly in terms of RBME, as well as, in integrating Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES),” said RPCO-8 Deputy Project Director Jenny Lyn R. Almeria during the RBME Retooling cum SES training workshop held on Sept. 22-25, 2015 at Caluwayan, Marabut, Samar.

Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Specialist from the National Project Coordination Office Enika Hernando clarifies to participants the Grievance Redress Mechanism Resolution Process during the Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation Retooling cum SES training workshop held on Sept. 22-25, 2015 at Caluwayan, Marabut, Samar.

Dir. Almeria further stressed how monitoring results could contribute towards making sound decisions, in initiating preventive or corrective measures and adoption of good practices.

“Ultimately, there is a need to find out whether the output, process and resources work towards achieving the desired results,” she added.

In addition, she also explained that SES is aimed at ensuring that sub-projects to be implemented under PRDP are not only technically, economically and financially viable, but are also environmentally and socially sound and sustainable. This mechanism was put in place to protect citizens and the environment from adverse effects that may arise from the introduction of any sub-project funded under PRDP.

Any proposed sub-projects, may it be under infrastructure or enterprise, need to be subjected to environmental screening and must conform with the environmental guidelines of the project.

“These strategies, now in place under the PRDP, may be adopted by the national agencies and the LGUs. In fact, we are positive that these will be adopted and hopefully, be institutionalized in the implementation of the Department of Agriculture’s programs and projects,” said Dir. Almera.

Highlights during the three-day activity include the presentation of the PRDP RBME System; Workshop proper filling out of monitoring/reporting forms and Management Information System; presentation of the SES Framework; the Grievance Redress Machinery and ended with an open forum.

The activity was attended by around 60 participants comprised of M&E and SES Specialists from the National Project Coordination Office and the Project Support Office for Visayas; key personnel from RPCO-8 headed by Dr. Jenny Lyn R. Almeria; Project Management Implementing Units from the LGUs of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Northern Samar and Eastern Samar as well as from the following participating cities/municipalities of Ormoc, Tacloban and Sogod, Southern Leyte. (Rodel G. Macapañas, RPCO-8 InfoACE)