National M&E Unit Head spearheads the retooling of Luzon A Cluster project staffs in using the MIS, a web-based monitoring system, during the Joint PSO-RPCOs M&E Unit First Quarter 2017 Coordination Meeting. MIS for everyone
The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) conducted a Joint PSO-RPCOs First Quarter 2017 Coordination Meeting at Fiesta Garden Hotel, Bantay, Ilocos Sur on June 20-23, 2017.
Mr. Jourvin Barrera, National M&E Unit Head, re-oriented the Luzon A Cluster Project staffs on using the Management Information System (MIS) during the meeting. “…the MIS is not just for the M&E, but for the components and units to use this in making decisions and making strategies… everyone should be users [of the MIS],” Mr. Barrera said.
The MIS is the official data bank of the PRDP, where real-time monitoring of the funded subprojects can be made. It features the basic profile, physical progress, geotagged photos, financial progress, and social and environmental documents of each subproject in the entire country.
After the 4th World Bank Implementation Support Mission, it was found that the Project’s components and units have low uptake in using the MIS. As such, the M&E targets engaging all 900 plus project staffs in using the MIS by the end of 2017. The roles and duties of each component and unit in maintaining the MIS were underscored during the meeting. For instance, the Social and Environmental Safeguards (SES) Unit is tasked to update the SES profile of each subproject in the system, the Governance and Geomapping Unit (GGU) in uploading geotagged photos.
The MIS is identified as the Project’s best practice by the World Bank. Mr. Barrera now challenged the project staffs to translate the ‘highly satisfactory’ rating of the monitoring system into implementation.
Aside from the MIS, improvements on the Rapid Appraisal of Emerging Benefits (RAEB) were also discussed by Mr. Edgar Zoto Mayor, National M&E Officer. A RAEB is conducted six months after the completion or award of PRDP-funded subprojects to gauge the initial impact of the subproject to the socio-economic lives of the project beneficiaries.
The improved RAEB shall involve the Economics Unit, the Governance and Geomapping Unit and the Infrastructure and/or Enterprise Component. They shall measure whether or not the subprojects are on-track in meeting the subproject objectives.
Each region is advised to re-echo the re-orientation of the MIS and the improvements in the RAEB in their respective offices. The M&E Unit shall conduct training for conducting RAEB by second week of July 2017. ### (Dessa U. Estrada and Vida V. Cacal, DA-PRDP RPCO1 InfoACE)
