As part of the mainstreaming efforts of good practices and innovative tools implemented under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) to the regular offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA), a financial data management portal was developed by the Project Support Office (PSO) North Luzon cluster that will be implemented and utilized under the Field Operations Division (FOD) office of the DA Regional Field Office (DA RFO) 3.

The said tool maximizes the extensive functionality of the Microsoft Excel software program that was programmed through the initiative and technical know-how of PSO Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Specialist, Karen Cortado.

Cortado shared that the tool contains essential data for easy tracking and real-time monitoring of progress on the operations, such as financial disbursements, obligations, targets, and accomplishments, among others, of the different banner programs of the DA in the Central Luzon Region.

“It has a dashboard that allows the assigned staff to easily manage and update the numbers for a centralized data monitoring and management of banner programs of the DA regional field office,” Cortado said.

The FOD office manages the operations of the four (4) banner programs of the DA in the region, namely, rice, corn, high-value crops, and livestock under the headship of DA-PRDP PSO North Luzon Deputy Project Director Elma Mananes.

On May 2, 2022, the PSO M&E unit spearheaded a data encoding activity with the staff of the said programs, to present and demonstrate to them the process of managing the data and navigating the said portal.

Meanwhile, Director Mananes expressed her appreciation for the effort and support of the DA-PRDP M&E unit in the transfer and sharing of knowledge, as she is positive that the developed system would greatly improve the operations in the division under her management.

Since its inception, the DA-PRDP has been able to produce innovative tools and applications that are proven effective in subproject implementation, documentation and monitoring, promoting transparency in its operation. These, along with notable best practices, are aimed to be mainstreamed and transferred to DA’s main operations/activities. (By: Ericson M. Guiao, PSO North Luzon InfoACE)