In preparation for the upcoming 14th World Bank Implementation Support Mission (WB-ISM), the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) Project Support Office (PSO) North Luzon Cluster, together with the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) 1, conducted pre-mission activities from May 4 to 6, 2022 in the Ilocos region, where selected infrastructure and enterprise subprojects are set to undergo site visits by the first week of June.

The said pre-mission aims to orient the group of people involved in the implemented subprojects on what to expect from the site visit of the officials from the World Bank, which will be the first face-to-face subproject field inspection since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020.

Likewise, it aims to ensure the completeness and readiness of the completed subprojects in terms of technical aspects, operations, and financial documents, among others, once the 14th WB-ISM to the DA-PRDP formally kicks off on May 23, 2022.

Under the I-BUILD Component, the Rehabilitation of Pug-Os-Nagcullooban Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) is the subproject assigned to go through inspection. Located in Ilocos Sur, this PhP206 million worth road project covers a 15.48-kilometer portion of the provincial road, interconnecting eight (8) barangays from the municipalities of Cabugao and Sinait. It is constructed in support of the mango commodity production within the municipalities.

On the other hand, the I-REAP Component chose the Commercialization for Ilocos Garlic: The White Treasure of the North Enterprise, located in Ilocos Norte for the site visit with the Bacarra Zanjera Irrigators Multi-Purpose Cooperative (BZIMPC) as the main Proponent Group (PG). It was completed in 2021 with a total cost of PhP18,514,965.31, with aims to support both the garlic farmers and the cooperative, through the provision of marketing and production inputs.

Prior to this activity, a Rapid Appraisal of Emerging Benefits (RAEB), led by the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit, was conducted to document the initial impacts of each subproject through a series of interviews such as household interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and spot interviews with members and farmer-beneficiaries of the subproject.

PSO North Luzon Deputy Project Director Elma Mananes reminded the components and units involved of the works that need to be done to make sure that everything will be in place before the big event. She also recognized their efforts and cooperation to make the site visit activity a success.

Other than the I-REAP and I-BUILD Components, the activity was also participated by the concerned units from PSO and counterparts from the RPCO, such as the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES), Geomapping and Governance Unit (GGU), Admin Unit, and Provincial Project Monitoring and Implementation Unit (PPMIU). (By: Ericson M. Guiao, PSO North Luzon, InfoACE)