Different stakeholders in Kalinga convened to assess the institutionalization of the province’s Commodity Investment Plan (CIP) from February 7 to 10 in Tabuk City, Kalinga.

The Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) is a science-based planning tool of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) that has been serving as a blueprint for developing relevant interventions and investment opportunities to support priority commodities in different regions.

The assessment was held to examine the tool’s effectiveness and usefulness in identifying and implementing agri-fishery projects, particularly in the province of Kalinga.

Spearheaded by the I-PLAN Component, the assessment was jointly conducted by the Regional Project Coordination Office – Cordillera Administrative Region (RPCO-CAR) and Project Support Office (PSO).

As part of the activity, Focus Group Discussions and Key Informant Interviews among the participating industry players from the local government unit, farmer cooperatives, and other government agencies were done to generate essential data relative to the level of integration or institutionalization of the commodity investment plan at the LGU level, in terms of the formulation process, implementation, and emerging benefits from utilizing the tool.

Specifically, the administered guide questions seek to know the level of participation or involvement of the stakeholders and the facilitating and constraining factors in PCIP formulation/updating, and utilization of the tool in the context of planning, programming, and budgeting processes, and investment prioritization with and without the CIP.

Likewise, it intends to spot issues, gaps, and best practices and recommend strategies and approaches to maximize the use of PCIP to guide the LGUs in planning and developing their agri-fishery sector.

According to Kalinga Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Flordeliza G. Moldero, the PCIP has been very useful in coming up with and prioritizing interventions based on the Value Chain Analysis (VCA) results.

“Before PCIP, we plan and prepare our local development programs based on a general assessment of our agriculture sector. But now, with PCIP, we were given a more rational and transparent process of identifying projects that focus on supporting our prime commodities, such as the heirloom rice, banana, and coffee,” Moldero said.

She added that they find the PCIP very useful, as it serves as their main reference or menu of eligible projects that will be prioritized for funding and will address the gaps identified in the VCA.

Meanwhile, Provincial Agriculturist and Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) head Engr. Domingo Bakilan said that agricultural activities in terms of the production of their champion commodities – rice, coffee, and banana, increased after the completion of interventions from PRDP, which immensely helped the farmers in the influence area.

Findings from the assessment will be analyzed to formulate strategies for enhancing PCIP formulation and utilization. A similar activity will also be conducted in select provinces in the North Luzon cluster to assess the effectiveness and usefulness of the PCIP as a planning tool.

Currently, twenty-two (22) provinces and one (1) city in the North Luzon cluster have already adopted the PCIP covering a total of twenty-four (24) agri-fishery commodities.### Ericson Guiao (Writer, DA-PRDP PSO North Luzon Cluster)