On December 4, 2020, the members of the MIMAROPA Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) undertook the approval of five (5) subprojects which are located in the provinces of Marinduque, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, and Romblon.

The first one is the Construction of Class “AAA” Hog Slaughterhouse estimated to be worth P249 million for the Province of Marinduque. This was proposed the under the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan on Swine, aiming to address the issue on lack of accredited slaughter facilities in the province. The subproject site will be in the Municipality of Mogpog, 8 kilometers away from the capital, where the Balanacan Pier is located. The details of the infrastructure was reviewed by the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) before endorsement to the members of the advisory board, according to the proponent local government unit.

In the Province of Occidental Mindoro, there were two approved subprojects namely the 3.72 kilometer Upgrading of Brgy. Manoot Farm-to-Market Road and Construction of Manoot Bridge II; and the 4.70-kilometer Construction of Surong Bridge and Upgrading of Brgy. Aguas Farm-to-Market Road. Each is worth P225 million in support of the onion industry of the province.

The Municipality of San Teodoro in Oriental Mindoro was also able to get approval for their first PRDP subproject which is the P130.7 million-worth Concreting of Barangay Bigaan-Saclag, Caagutayan Farm-to-Market Road with Bridge. The road is proposed to be 6 kilometers long, anchored to support the Coconut industry, particularly Virgin Coconut Oil.

The only enterprise subproject that was approved was the Odiongan Cocosugar Processing of the Province of Romblon, proposed by the Organic Farmers, Producers and Processors Association of Odiongan. It has an estimated cost of P7.5 million which includes provisions to address low adoption of processing and post-harvest technologies. Primarily, it aims to increase the income of its 54 coconut farmer-members, as well as other coconut farmers of the community. 

According to RED Antonio Gerundio of DA MIMAROPA, it is good for the region to be able to pipeline as many interventions as possible for funding before the year ended. He added that there is a need to approve more projects for the benefit of the farmers and stakeholders in the field as well as assist in the improvement of the region, given the situation that we are in right now. In the future, he also hopes to receive more enterprise subproject proposals. ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)

The proponents presented their subprojects via teleconference given the restrictions on travel. This is the second Regional Project Advisory Board meeting that was conducted online because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Some of the members of the PRDP MIMAROPA, including technical consultants, also attended the Regional Project Advisory Board meeting from the regional office in Quezon City.