The MIMAROPA Regional Project Advisory Board (RPAB) recently approved P73.5M-worth of micro-enterprises and regular enterprise development (I-REAP) sub-projects from the provinces of Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, and Palawan. The RPAB will endorse five sub-projects from the said provinces for the issuance of no objection letters.

“Today, we shall all be positive. And so our output for the day will be the positive approval of the projects,” said Occidental Mindoro Congresswoman Josephine Ramirez-Sato who also attended the business meeting.

The first regular sub-project that was approved was the P50M-worth “Expansion of Fish Landing and Establishment of Cold Storage Facility” in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. It was proposed by the Municipality of Sablayan with the Occidental Mindoro Provincial Project Management and Implementation Unit (PPMIU). Presented by PPMIU I-PLAN Component Head Elmer Veracruz, this project aims to benefit the fisherfolk in the province where the priority commodity is tuna fish.

The three micro-enterprises from Marinduque which were already approved by the Board had to go under a second review because of the changes in cost. As presented by Marinduque PPMIU Head Marian Cunanan, these projects are the “Nangka Coco Coir Processing” worth P1.33M, “Butansapa Coco Coir Processing” worth P1.32M, and “Arrowroot Production and Processing” worth P1.34M.

Micro-enterprises, formerly known as small livelihood projects, are sub-projects under the Philippine Rural Development Project with the objective of helping calamity-stricken farmers and fisherfolk in building back their sources of income and forms of livelihood.

The “Palawan Cashew Processing Center” in Roxas, Palawan also had to undergo another review because of the change in its implementing agency. Municipal Project Management and Implementation Unit representative Rodrigo Bernardo Jr. presented the said enterprise worth P19.54M that will soon be implemented by the Roxas Municipal Government instead of the provincial local government unit.

The business meeting was facilitated by the MIMAROPA Regional Project Coordination Office led by Department of Agriculture MIMAROPA Regional Executive Director Atty. Cipriano Santiago. It was attended by representatives from the Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Council, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Interior and Local Government, and Department of Public Works and Highways. ### (Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)

Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato (center) poses with the members of the MIMAROPA Regional Project Advisory Board composed of (L-R) Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Council Chairman Melquiades Macalintal, Department of Environment and Natural Resources ARD Vicente Tuddao Jr., Department of Public Works and Highways Representative Engr. Rosa Consolacion Escalada, Department of Interior and Local Government OIC-RED James Fadrilam, Department of Trade and Industry ARD Rodolfo Mariposque, and Department of Agriculture 4B RED Cipriano Santiago. (Photo by Leira Vic Colongon, DA-PRDP RPCO 4B InfoACE Unit)