February 4, 2015

For over 20 years, residents of Brgy. Cuco, Bagong Silang, and Hubo in Pasacao, Camarines Sur held a common lifelong dream—a passable road—a road that will allow easy access not only to motorcycle or “habal-habal” and tricycle, but all types of transport vehicles, a road that will reduce travel time and transport cost of agricultural produce, and a road that will lead to easier and   faster access to basic social services. During the 1^st World Bank (WB) Supervision Mission Site Visit in Brgy. Cuco on February 3, 2015, the residents were elated to know that they are one step closer to the fulfillment of that dream.

The WB team headed by Carolina V. Figueroa-Geron and 11 other technical experts visited the site and interacted with the key beneficiaries and implementers to validate if the proposed project suits the need of the identified beneficiaries. The team also looked into the pace and progress of the sub-project (SP) as well as identified problems and issues.

According to Geron, the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) is currently the biggest World Bank project in the Philippines and is one of the international financial institution’s biggest agricultural and rural development projects worldwide.

“We are very glad to know that in this region, you consider the PRDP as one of your priorities in development initiative. Ang mahalaga po ay ma-implement ninyo ang sub-projects on the ground ng maayos at tama–in a transparent manner within good governance setup and in the most efficient way possible. Let us work together and help achieve our target of increasing household income,” Geron said.

According to PRDP Project Support Office (PSO) Luzon B Director Shandy M. Hubilla, Bicol has the biggest share of Intensified Building up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD) sub-projects with No Objection Letter (NOL) in South Luzon with a total project cost worth P638.4 million. These include the P50.67 million-worth Upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang farm-to-market road (FMR) in Pasacao, the P131.28 million-worth Concreting of Manangle-Caima FMR in Sipocot, and P44.80 million-worth Rehabilitation of San Isidro to Pag-oring Nuevo Road in Libmanan, Camarines Sur. These FMRs intend to complement the Camarines Sur Coconut Sap Sugar Processing, the province’s proposed Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) SP and the Coco Water Processing Technology Pilot-Testing and Business Incubation Project, a partnership among the Department of Agriculture (DA)-PRDP, Philippine Center for Postharvest Mechanization and Development (PhilMech), Camarines Sur local government unit (LGU), and Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA). The objective is to pilot test coco water’s market acceptability, profitability, product characteristics, and machine efficiency prior to full commercial adoption.

Meanwhile, Engr. Abelardo R. Bragas, Regional Executive Director of DA Regional Field Office V (DA RFO V), expressed his optimism that the PRDP will transform the rural areas into dynamic and competent growth points for agricultural development.

“Ito po ang gustong mangyari ng ating national government, maramdaman sa kanayunan yung paglago ng ekonomiya. Ito po ang tinatawag natin na pag nagawa itong kalsadang ito, gusto ng ating president at ni Secretary Alcala na maramdaman nyo yung sinasabi nilang inclusive growth,” he said.

The WB team, along with the National Project Coordination Office (NPCO) officials headed by PRDP National Deputy Project Director Engr. Arnel V. De Mesa also conducted a site inspection and consultation at the Albay Coco Geonets Manufacturing Enterprise, Albay’s I-REAP SP, at Sitio La Medalla Brgy. Bonbon in Libon. They also visited the Coco Water Processing Center at the DA RFO V Compound.

Geron lauded the strong political support of the provincial and municipal leaders to the implementation of PRDP. She stated that the dynamism of Bicol Region will be the key to the success of PRDP implementation. Present during the opening program were several provincial and municipal leaders of South Luzon such as Albay Governor Joey. S. Salceda and Camarines Sur Governor Miguel Luis R. Villafuerte who both expressed their excitement for the PRDP implementation in their respective provinces. Salceda and Villafuerte agreed that the project is a great opportunity to harness the knowledge and experience of the province towards countryside development. Camarines Norte Governor Edgardo A. Tallado and Catanduanes Governor Araceli B. Wong also came to show their commitment and support to the project.

PRDP is a six-year rural development project worth over P27.5 billion which will be funded through a loan from World Bank amounting to P20.56 billion, and P7 billion counterpart from the Government of the Philippines (GOP) and LGUs. In six years, PRDP aims to raise annual real farm incomes of PRDP household beneficiaries by 5%, increase the value of annual marketed output by 7% and ensure that 20% more farmers and fishers will benefit from DA services. (Annielyn L. Baleza, I-SUPPORT InfoACE Unit, DA-RAFIS 5)

EXPECTANT. After over 20 years of waiting, residents of Brgy. Cuco in Pasacao, Camarines Sur are one step closer to the fulfillment of their lifelong dream–a passable road through the DA-PRDP’s proposed P50.67 million-worth Upgrading of Cuco-Bagong Silang farm-to-market road (FMR).

The team of officials from World Bank led by Carolina V. Figueroa-Geron (seated, third from left), PRDP National Deputy Project Director Engr. Arnel V. de Mesa (standing, 7th from left), DA-RFO V Regional Executive Director Abelardo R. Bragas (seated, 1st from left), and PSO Luzon B Project Director Shandy M. Hubilla (seated, 1st from right) together with the political leaders of South Luzon who expressed their support of the Philippine Rural Development Project, Albay Governor Joey S. Salceda (seated, 4th from left), Camarines Sur Governor Miguel Luis R. Villafuerte (seated, 2nd from right) Marinduque Governor Carmencita O. Reyes (standing, 7th from right), Camarines Norte Governor Edgardo A. Tallado (standing, 5th from right) and Guinayangan, Quezon Mayor Cesar J. Isaac III (standing, 4th from right).

PSO South Luzon (Luzon B) Project Director Shandy M. Hubilla (center, in powder blue) leads the site visit of the World Bank team at Brgy. Cuco Pasacao, Camarines Sur on February 3, 2015, one of the highlights of the 1st World Bank (WB) Supervision Mission to South Luzon Cluster Site Visit.