The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) promotes effective monitoring on its interventions to ensure good quality, maintain timeline, and keep transparency in implementation through citizen involvement.

On February 27 to March 2, a Training on Citizen Monitoring was conducted for the beneficiaries of the 11.71-kilometer “Construction and Upgrading of the Nicanor Zabala – San Miguel – Jolo Farm-to-Market Road (FMR)” in Roxas, Palawan.

The representatives of each barangay, members of the municipal government, and the FMR’s contractor attended the training by the PRDP MIMAROPA. It comprised of basic technical discussions on the standards on infrastructure, Social and Environmental Safeguards, and the Applied Geotagging Tool.

The Citizen Monitoring Tool, introduced by the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Unit, is one of the M&E tools used by the PRDP. Its significant approach includes the participation of stakeholders in the implementation of subprojects from beginning to end.

Its goal is to engage local residents, as taxpayers, in making sure that the construction of the subprojects in their community are following the Project’s specifications and standards. Through this, local residents will have the capacity to assess the progress of their subprojects and have the sense of ownership for them.

“We want the community to be involved. You are not just recipients. Even though we are still just in the implementation stage, we should already take the role and responsibility to co-manage the project,” explained South Luzon Cluster Deputy Project Director Shandy Hubilla.

Director Hubilla also emphasized that the World Bank is already looking at the initial impact of the Project’s interventions; all the more that proper monitoring and evaluation which involve stakeholders should be done.

“You have the right to be involved because these projects are projects of everyone,” South Luzon Cluster M&E Officer Arvin San Juan added.

According to Brgy. Nicanor Zabala Chairperson Marvin Montilla, the training will be helpful to better supervise the subproject and to know whether or not the contractor is following the standards prescribed by the PRDP.

As a beneficiary of the FMR, Montilla also remarked the importance of the quality of the road that will be constructed. The barangays of Nicanor Zabala, San Miguel, and Jolo are three of the cashew-abundant areas in Roxas. Once completed, the FMR worth P117.4 million is expected to benefit 845 households and to improve the lives of cashew farmers who are having difficulty in transporting and selling their produce.  ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)

South Luzon Cluster GIS Data Specialist Richard Balandra (left) demonstrates how to use the PRDP Camera to the attendees of the Training on Citizen Monitoring during the site visit at the Nicanor Zabala – San Miguel – Jolo FMR. (Photo by Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)

Brgy. Nicanor Zabala Chairperson Marvin Montilla, (right) together with South Luzon Cluster M&E Officer Arvin San Juan, (left) explains how they can use the Citizen Monitoring Tool in supervising their newly implemented subproject in Roxas, Palawan. (Photo by Ana Francesca Chavez, DA-PRDP South Luzon PSO InfoACE Unit)