As part of the monitoring activities of the Department of Agriculture – Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) and the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) to ensure proponent compliance on the maintenance of completed subprojects, an audit was conducted by the DA-Regional Operations and Maintenance Audit Team (ROMAT) from May 18-19, 2022.

Using the Operations and Maintenance Audit System (OMAS), the ROMAT focused on identifying the strategies and initiatives employed by the implementing Local Government Unit (LGU) and Proponent Group (PG), in order to maintain the subprojects’ quality and condition, ensuring progress to farmers and residents. The ROMAT regularly monitors infrastructure subprojects every six (6) months after completion.

Among the subprojects assessed include the six (6) warehouse facilities located in the municipalities of Conner, Kabugao, Pudtol, Sta. Marcela, Flora, and Luna, including the consolidation and trading centers in support to the operations of the Banana Consolidation and Marketing enterprises located in Conner and Flora.

The warehouse facilities are now being used by farmers to store their agricultural produce such as rice, corn, banana, and rice seeds, as well as farm machineries and hauling trucks that are being used by Farmer Cooperatives and Associations (FCAs). These warehouse subprojects were already turned over by the PLGU of Apayao to the Municipal LGUs for co-management, operations and maintenance.

According to the Apayao Provincial Office of Agricultural Services, Memorandum of Agreements were already signed between the PLGU and the MLGUs, and the Operations Manual for each facility are now being developed.

During the activity, the ROMAT recommended the establishment of dividers to segregate agricultural items from non-agricultural items, and the proper recording of transactions at the warehouses. Since the facilities are currently being used by farmers for free, the ROMAT also recommended crafting policies for the warehouse management, and the collection of a minimal storage fee that will be intended for utility services and maintenance.

Meanwhile, the completed consolidation and trading centers that are being managed by the Calaoan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (CARBC) in Conner and by the Flora Multipurpose Cooperative (FMPC) in Flora were also monitored and assessed. These facilities were proposed to support the operations of their enterprise subprojects on Banana Cardava Consolidation and Marketing.

Brief dialogs on the findings and recommendations for the maintenance and sustainability of the facilities were held with the PGs of the enterprise subprojects and also with the Barangay LGUs where the warehouses are situated.

An exit meeting was also held with the members of the Provincial Project Management and Implementing Unit (PPMIU) to discuss overall findings and recommendations from the Operations and Maintenance Audit activities conducted.

The objectives of the activity and the importance of Operations and Maintenance for DA-PRDP-funded infrastructure subprojects, including the roles and responsibilities of the LGU, PG, and the community in terms of operations and maintenance, management and functionality were stressed.

Apayao Governor Eleanor C. Begtang-Bulut expressed her gratitude to the team for the fruitful conduct of the monitoring activity, and likewise thanked the DA-PRDP for the successful implementation of the other ongoing and recently completed infrastructure and enterprise subprojects in the province.

Based on the DA-PRDP’s guidelines, as stipulated in the Implementing Management Agreement (IMA) between the DA-PRDP and the LGU, the LGU is responsible for the operations and maintenance of completed DA-PRDP-funded subprojects for at least 10 years. (Elvy T. Estacio, DA-PRDP RPCO-CAR InfoACE Unit)