“Overall, the entire project is doing quite well in terms of progresses. You’ve come a long way in just three years of implementation. You now start to see subprojects on the ground happening so that’s really nice to see,” this wraps up World Bank Task Team Leader Frauke Jungbluth’s assessment of the Midterm Review Mission in South Luzon held in Naga City on December 4–6, 2017.

A team of World Bank officials accompanied by the PRDP Management staff from the National Office and the South Luzon Project Support Office trooped to Bicol to measure the Project’s performance in terms of achieving its development objectives, effectiveness of tools being used, and the Department of Agriculture’s readiness to mainstream the Project efforts.

The World Bank team conducted a two-day simultaneous physical inspection of infrastructure development (I-BUILD) and enterprise development (I-REAP) subprojects in the region. For I-BUILD, the team conducted a walk-through and inspection of the Rehabilitation/Improvement of Pistola–Tablon Road with 3 Units Bridges in Oas, Albay, the Rehabilitation of San Isidro to Pag-Oring Nuevo Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) in Libmanan, Camarines Sur, and the Construction/Rehabilitation of Pinagwarasan to Lanot FMR.

For I-REAP, the team conducted a consultation dialogue with the proponent groups of microenterprise subprojects in Sorsogon namely the Rural Improvement Club (RIC) of Bagacay and the Carayat Seaweed Farmers Association in Gubat, Sorsogon and the Samahan ng Mangingisda ng Gimaloto (SAMAGI) in Brgy. Pamurayan, Sorsogon City. The PRDP team also had a dialogue with the members of the Tunay Tapat Lahing Pilipino Cooperative (TTLPC) in Libon, Albay. Food and Agriculture Organization Natural Resource Management (NRM) Officer Jim Hancock led the stakeholders’ consultation dialogue in the Municipal Fish Sanctuary and Marine Reserve of Matnog in Brgy. Calintaan in Matnog, Sorsogon. The Midterm Review Mission was capped with a plenary session and focused group discussion per component and unit together with the World Bank experts.

Jungbluth lauded the difference made by joint technical reviews in reducing the time to process subprojects. “It was a great innovation that has been started,” she said. However, she said that during the field visits, the team had seen problems and bottlenecks in project implementation particularly on the quality of the workmanship for I-BUILD subprojects and early detection of issues rather than having to retrofit. She added that the Project can still improve by applying lessons learned in planning and implementing more I-BUILD subprojects. She emphasized the value of integrating drainage and slope protection in the design of new roads and ensuring that local government units take their role in the operations and maintenance of completed roads.

In terms of I-REAP implementation, Jungbluth shared that challenges are beginning to arise with the onset of project activities. She said that a key to move forward is the Project’s contribution to put them into a sustainable path. “We don’t want to have at the end of the Project a lot of subprojects that failed because of issues that cropped up early on that we could have done something about,” she remarked.

She reminded PRDP implementers to learn from the lessons and bring them in to make the processes go smoother to avoid delays and variation orders or retrofitting of things.

“For the next three years it really means putting all of these on the ground in the best possible way, with the best quality and impact and then measuring these. What the data showed us for now is that you’re in a good path towards achieving the Project development objectives,” Jungbluth said.

The World Bank official furthered that in the next three years, they want to see subprojects such as quality infrastructures and viable and sustainable enterprises completed in a good way. Moreover, she expressed keenness on the Project’s I-PLAN component using the Provincial Commodity Investment Plans (PCIPs) to converge with other institutions that leverage funds.

During the plenary discussion, Dr. Elena B. Delos Santos, PRDP-Bicol Project Director and concurrently Regional Executive Director, expressed her confidence that with the activities during the recent World Bank mission, the outputs will be the region’s guide in improving its strategies and efforts towards the enhancement of the implementation and attainment of project goals and objectives in Bicol.

The three-day Midterm Review Mission of the PRDP implementation in South Luzon held in Bicol was the last leg of similar activities conducted in three other clusters in the country namely North Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

On its third year of implementation, Bicol has 11 approved Value Chain Analyses, seven approved PCIPs and seven Interagency Memorandum of Understanding signing activities conducted to institutionalize PCIP implementation. The region also has 18 approved I-BUILD subprojects amounting to P1.35 billion which will benefit 36,499 individual beneficiaries. Likewise, Bicol has 22 approved I-REAP subprojects worth a total of P66.17 million with a total of 17,324 individual beneficiaries.

PRDP is a six-year World Bank-assisted development project being implemented by the DA. The Project aims to raise farmers’ income and establish an inclusive, market-oriented and climate-resilient agri-fishery sector through partnerships with LGUs and convergence with the private sector in providing key infrastructure, facilities and technology. (Annielyn L. Baleza, DA-PRDP Bicol InfoACE Unit)

The World Bank officials inspect the implementation of I-BUILD subprojects in Basud and Mercedes, Camarines Norte during the Midterm Review Mission in Bicol on December 4-6, 2017.

The World Bank officials interact with the members of the Rural Improvement Club (RIC) of Bagacay and the Carayat Seaweed Farmers Association in Gubat, Sorsogon and the Samahan ng Mangingisda ng Gimaloto (SAMAGI) in Brgy. Pamurayan, Sorsogon City as part of the Midterm Review Mission in Bicol on December 4-6, 2017. (Photo by Eduardo D. Collantes Jr., DA-PRDP Bicol InfoACE Unit)

The World Bank officials interact with the members of the Rural Improvement Club (RIC) of Bagacay and the Carayat Seaweed Farmers Association in Gubat, Sorsogon and the Samahan ng Mangingisda ng Gimaloto (SAMAGI) in Brgy. Pamurayan, Sorsogon City as part of the Midterm Review Mission in Bicol on December 4-6, 2017. (Photo by Eduardo D. Collantes Jr., DA-PRDP Bicol InfoACE Unit)