Local government unit officials from Aurora, Nueva Ecija and Bulacan gathered last October 20-21 in Angeles City, Pampanga for a two-day training on the establishment and operation of grievance redress mechanism for their respective subprojects funded and implemented under the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

The grievance redress mechanism, or GRM, is an extensive subproject management system of PRDP that intends to address and resolve complaints with regards to the project activities and performance. Each participating local government unit is required to set-up a GRM that would conform to the framework laid down for the Project.

“This GRM training aims to equip the local officials in addressing complaints and concerns in their community,” said Ms. Jesusa Surla from the Social and Environmental Safeguard (SES) Unit of Regional Project Coordination Office 3 (RPCO3). “The activity will update the participants regarding the framework of the integrated environmental and social safeguards and the roles and functions of the grievance point persons. And more importantly, this will prepare them in handling complaints and queries from the community.”

A grievance point person (GPP) will be appointed per office (Regional Project Coordination Office, Provincial Government Unit, Municipal Government Unit, and Baranggay), who will be responsible for the initial screening of feedbacks and complaints, as well as the organization of preliminary meetings with concerned parties. A registry of grievances will be maintained by the GPPs for submission to the National Project Coordination Office (NPCO).

As output for the training, the provincial, municipal and baranggay officials from Aurora, Nueva Ecija, and Bulacan prepared and presented a GRM action plan that will be carried out during the entire course of implementation of the farm-to-market road (FMR) subprojects in their respective localities. In Aurora, the Construction and Improvement of San Joaquin-Cadayakan FMR has already received the No Objection Letter 1 from the NPCO, while the Improvement of Bubulong Malaki-Bulusukan-Bubulong Munti-Buhol na Mangga FMR (Bulacan) and the Improvement of San Juan-Villa Joson-Porais FMR (Nueva Ecija) both have received the No Objection Letter 2. (Mark Erron H. San Mateo, RPCO3 InfoACE)

Mr. Rey Victoria of the Municipality of San Ildefonso presents their GRM action plan for the Improvement of Bubulong Malaki-Bulusukan-Bubulong Munti-Buhol na Mangga FMR