The Philippine Rural Development Project (Project) Information, Advocacy, Communications and Education (InfoACE) Unit conducted a Regional InfoACE Coordination Meeting on July 6-7, 2017 to organize, establish and strengthen a core of partners from the regional and municipal local government units in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) assigned as InfoACE Focal Persons.

The activity achieved its aim of organizing, orienting, updating and unifying the InfoACE Focal Persons in the Region and institutionalized mechanisms for partnership collaboration in the advancement of IEC and advocacy requirements of implementing the Project using identified communication approaches and media platform

The meeting’s highlights include the presentation of a briefing on the Project, its components and implementation processes as well as a general picture of how the region was able to formulate plans with the Provincial Local Government Units, and the Project’s accomplishments as of meeting date.

Representatives from each of the components and units under the Project presented highlights of their operations manual emphasizing on the IEC and advocacy needs as well as good practices that needs to be documented under each component or unit.

An added highlight of the activity was the presentation of the Rapid-Appraisal of Emerging Benefits focused on the role of InfoACE focal persons on the infrastructure and enterprise components of the Project which the InfoACE is required to be members of the documentation team.

Furthermore, Mr. Jan Dacumos, Communication Specialist of the National InfoACE Unit, presented the Operations Manual of the InfoACE as well as the style guide to be used not only for the Project but for the whole Department of Agriculture as well.  Ms. Kayla Arceo of the Project Support Office likewise presented the duties and responsibilities of the participants as LGU Focal Persons for the Unit.

As an offshoot of the activity, the participants committed to submit photo stories and articles on the Project that occured in their areas of responsibility as well as to assist in the documentation of activities as well as good practices captured in the implementation of subprojects implemented in their respective provinces. Technical writing, journalism, basic photography and geotagging were identified as topics for future trainings of the participants.

The InfoACE Unit is the information and communication arm of the Philippine Rural Development Project under the I-Support Component tasked to effectively manage IEC and advocacy as an image builder of the Project. (Mabel B. Zabala, InfoACE RPCO CAR)