To ensure that farmers are well-guided and informed, the Procurement and Finance Units of the Regional Project Coordination Office (RPCO) 1 re-oriented the Pasuquin Farmers Garlic and Onion Growers Association (PFGOGA) on the Community Force Account Procurement Method in Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte on August 17, 2018.

The Community Force Account (CFA) is a procurement method recommended by the World Bank in its 3^rd Implementation Mission Aide Memoire. Among others, the CFA aims to expedite the procurement process of goods for the beneficiaries of the enterprise component. In this method, the counter-parting local government unit (LGU) will transfer funds directly to the proponent farmer group. The proponent farmer group will use the funds based on its approved procurement plan.

The PFGOGA received a No Objection Letter for its proposed Php3.03-million Onion Production, Consolidation, and Marketing Enterprise on July 12, 2017. Included in the business plan is the Php498,319.80 trading capital to procure 22,000 kilograms of onion produce from the members of the PFGOGA. Based on the business’ procurement plan, the trading capital will be used through the CFA.

Proponent Groups which will use the CFA Procurement Method are required to organize their own Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) or Procurement Committee composed of at least three (3) members. These members should not be the president authorized to sign the Project contract (Enterprise Implementation Agreement), members of the board of directors, general manager, accountant, and auditor of the farmer organization.

During the re-orientation, the PFGOGA members were particularly interested whether they can use the trading capital to buy other goods aside from onion. In response, the Procurement Unit emphasized that the trading capital must only be used to buy onion as stated in the procurement plan. The PFGOGA is not limited, however, to use the trading capital for onion after the successful first cycle of the enterprise.

Aside from the members of the PFGOGA, Engr. Ma. Teresa Bacnat  and Fanny Miguel from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Ilocos Norte and Claudette Ignacio from the Provincial Budget Office participated in the re-orientation training.

The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) held the first CFA orientation-training in Region 1 in Bantay, Ilocos Sur on February 13-15, 2018.

The PFGOGA with the Ilocos Norte Office of Provincial Agriculturist is scheduled to hold a general assembly with all the members of the Association in September 2018. ### (Dessa U. Estrada, RPCO 1 InfoACE)