STA. IGNACIA, TARLAC – The Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO 3) and the Project Support Office (PSO) of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) conducted an orientation on Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) for the construction of three civil works of I-REAP subprojects thru Citizens’ Monitoring on January 24, 2020, here.

The activity was participated by the Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) of Tarlac, PG beneficiaries – Mayantoc Sweetpotato Clean Planting Materials Producers Cooperative, Caut Farmers Field School Marketing Cooperative and the Hardinero Agriculture Cooperative.

RPCO 3 Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit Head June H. Lacasandile emphasized that the activity is a way to orient the citizens specifically the Proponent Groups (PGs) in their involvement in the monitoring of the subproject during implementation.

Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Officer Jesusa Surla then familiarized the participants on the importance of GRM wherein proper documentation of issues is needed to immediately address and resolve observations regarding the implementation.

Moreover, I-BUILD Rural Infrastructure Engineer Jun Clinton stressed that beneficiaries are to have a sense of ownership on the subproject translated to Operations and Maintenance (O&M).

Engr. Gonzales also reminded the PGs to consult Resident Engineers Rico Ancheta and Jesus Aguilar if there are concerns that may arise during the implementation likewise to prevent conflicts.

The DA-PRDP is bent in acknowledging the concerns and issues of its beneficiaries through the citizens’ monitoring system that encourages public participation in the subproject implementation that allows beneficiaries to convey their needs to various levels of government and in return improve the provision of public services. (Ma. Reina Len Luna, RPCO3 InfoACE)