Increase in the incomes of its intended beneficiaries is one of the development objectives of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) throughout its six-year intervention. Specifically, the project is directed towards the agri-fishery sector and intended into providing key infrastructure and technology to raise productivity and competitiveness in the country.

In line with this expected outcome, the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) units of the South Luzon cluster and MIMAROPA region initiated to organize a profiling and survey with the three different target beneficiaries of PRDP in the Province of Oriental Mindoro. The baseline survey was conducted to specifically obtain individual profile of members of proponent groups and find out their forms of livelihood and household income. The data collected will then determine if the interventions by the PRDP through its sub-projects portray a positive outcome for its recipients that is in accordance to its development objectives.

“Part of the activity was ensuring that officers of proponent groups fully understood the objectives of securing the individual household income of members and getting them to commit to complete the baseline survey of all members of the organization,” MIMAROPA M&E Officer Manuel Carba said.

PRDP South Luzon Project Support Office (PSO) M&E Officer Arvin San Juan introduces the baseline tool to the participants of the activity from the Naujan Farmers Association. (Photo by Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)

One of the proponent groups was the Naujan Farmers Association (NaFA), the implementing unit of the “Oriental Mindoro Calamansi Trading Center and Buying Station” in Calapan City. This is one of the pilot sub-projects of PRDP in MIMAROPA with a goal of making a systematic arrangement for calamansi farmers in marketing their agricultural products.

“Ngayon, nabubuhayan ulit ng loob ang ating mga calamansi farmers kasi mayroon nang aalalay. Ang naitulong nito, during peak season ay nabibili ang aming kalakal, ang aming produkto,” said Victor Ulayan, a calamansi farmer and NaFA’s Operations Manager.

The other two target beneficiaries, on the other hand, are proponent groups of micro-enterprise projects that are still under assessment for presentation in the forthcoming Regional Project Advisory Board review.

The Samahan ng mga Taong  Nagtataguyod sa Produktong Natural (STANProN) proposed the “Improvement of Community Factory for Nipa Vinegar and Nipa Palm Sugar in Calapan City” that intends to utilize the abundant nipa plants in its area and expand its production of nipa sugar and vinegar. The members of STANProN are based in Gutad, a coastal barangay that was hit by Typhoon Nona last December 2015.

The Mahabang Parang Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association (MAPARBA), which will implement the “Packaging and Label Improvement and Execution for Nata de Coco Sweetened, Achara Nata de Coco and RTD Flavored Juice with Nata de Coco”, similarly aims to maximize its production capacity through the rehabilitation of its facilities which were also damaged by the said typhoon.

The activity gathered a total of 67 members from all the selected proponent groups in Oriental Mindoro. Currently, the South Luzon Project Support Office (PSO) with the MIMAROPA Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) is organizing activities side by side with the I-REAP Component for the conduct of succeeding profiling and survey for the other I-REAP sub-projects. ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)