Many farmers and fisherfolk associations in Eastern Visayas will surely benefit from the enterprise subprojects recently approved for funding from the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) under the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“Our farmers and fishers have waited for this. We need to source out more funds to provide capitalization for the much-needed investments that would open up livelihood opportunities, especially as the region is still under the rehab phase after super typhoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan), said DA Regional Field Office 8 Executive Director Leo P. Caneda.

The PRDP has liberalized its requirements under the Enterprise Development (I-REAP Component) Small Livelihood Project (SLP) meant to provide livelihood assistance for the farmers and fisherfolk whose livelihoods were affected by calamities.

“So far, Region 8 has availed much of the project funds under the SLP compared to other regions in the country. This simply indicates our need for such kind of funding assistance,” Caneda added.

The newly-approved 15 sub -projects under the SLP were submitted by proponent groups from the municipalities of Silago, Maasin, and Malitbog, in Southern Leyte; Basey, Calbiga, and Sta. Rita, in Samar; San Policarpo and Quinapondan, Eastern Samar; Allen and San Jose, Northern Samar; Alang- alang and Isabel, Leyte, and Tacloban City.

Meanwhile, a technical review for the other 32 proposed SLPs is currently being held at the Leyte Park Resort Hotel, in Tacloban City from Dec. 9-Dec. 11.

The proposed SLPs submitted were from the local government units of Albuera, Hilongos, Tanauan, Palompon, Mayorga, Barugo, San Isidro and, Ormoc City, in Leyte; San Ricardo, Padre Burgos, Macrohon, Maasin, Tomas Oppus, Anahawan, Hinunangan, San Juan, Limasawa, Pintuyan, San Francisco, in Southern Leyte; Biliran, Almeria and Naval, Biliran; San Sebastian, Gandara, Basey, and Motiong, Samar; Mondragon, Catarman and Allen, Northern Samar, and; Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

The livelihood sub- projects proposed ranges from livestock and poultry production, high value crops, organic fertilizers, and root crops production as well as, aqua culture and fisheries.

Director Caneda expressed optimism that these sub -projects will be funded before the year ends. “We need to be able to catch–up and submit these proposals with endorsement from the Regional Project Advisory Board to possibly get the No Objection Letter (NOL) before the end of December 2015.”

Under the PRDP, a NOL when issued either by the Project Support Office, the National Project Coordination Office or the World Bank, depending on the amount involved for any proposed sub-project positively signals that it is approved for funding and that, correspondingly, procurement of the needed items may already proceed in order to start off with its implementation.

“The total funding assistance which could be availed of for each sub -project proposed under the SLP reaches up to a million pesos. The required equity from the proponent group comprises 20 percent of the total cost of the proposed enterprise sub –project which could be in-cash or in –kind,” he hinted. (Rodel Macapanas, RPCO 8 Info-ACE)