DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO held its 2023 Year-End Assessment and Planning Workshop last November 21-24 at Cubao, Quezon City. This event was attended by Proponent Groups and LGUs in the region, and aimed to present accomplishments for the year, along with further preparations for PRDP Scale-Up in 2024.

In her welcome remarks addressed via Zoom, Regional Executive Director Engr. Maria Christine Inting, MPM stressed the importance of the said activity in the successful implementation of DA-PRDP subprojects for the benefit of local farmers and fisherfolk.

“Madami tayong mga project na malaking tulong sa ating mga magsasaka at mangingisda kaya sana maging maganda ang ating program at discussion sa bawat probinsya at munisipyo para mas gumanda pa ang mga program na ating makuha sa World Bank funding. Hopefully maging fruitful ang ating assessment para makita natin ang ating strengths and kung saan ang dapat nating pag-ibayuhin pa para mapa-ayos ang ating subprojects and at the same time, marami tayong makuhang proyekto pa para sa Scale-Up natin,” said Director Inting.

(We have a lot of projects that provide invaluable help to our farmers and fisherfolks so I really hope for the success of this program and discussion in every province and municipality so that we can get better programs from the World Bank funding. Hopefully, this assessment will be fruitful enough for us to determine our strengths and areas for improvement for the betterment of our subproject implementation and for us to secure more projects under [PRDP] Scale-Up.)

Participants also attended an echoing session on GeoRisk utilizing Climate Decision Support Tools (DSTs) from the DOST-PHILVOLCS GeoRisk PH. The use of the said DSTs will be instrumental in minimizing disaster risks of DA-PRPD subprojects.

2023 Highlights

PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO reported three physically completed infrastructures for 2023 amounting to Php 204,819,532.69. These are: the Construction of Brgy. Pato-o to Sitio Aurora Farm to Market Road Package II, the Concreting and Opening of Sta. Isabel Farm to Market Road, and the Concreting of Barangay Bigaan – Saclag, Caagutayan Farm to Market Road with Bridge. 

As of writing, I-BUILD has completed a total of 15 subproject amounting to more than 1 billion pesos and benefitting more than 23,000 residents in the Road Influence Area (RIA).

On the other hand, I-REAP was able to complete the Banana Trading, Processing and Marketing in Aborlan, Palawan this 2023 worth Php 19,049,190.66. In summary, I-REAP has completed 31 subprojects in the region amounting to 383 million pesos which benefits 10,000 farmer members of the respective proponent groups. 

Lastly, the I-PLAN Component was able to gather data for onion, cacao, native pig, and chicken Value Chain Assessments (VCAs). The calamansi VCA has been issued a No Objections Letter 1 (NOL1) in August while the yellow corn has a 95% completion rate as of October 2023.

For the Commodity Investment Plans (CIPs), I-PLAN was able to enhance/update five Provincial Commodity Investment Plans and one City Commodity Investment Plan. 

Meanwhile, both I-PLAN funded studies have reached 100% completion this 2023. These are the Study on Pest and Diseases of Calamansi: Paving Ways for the Sustainability of Calamansi and Cashew Resource and Technology Assessment and Geo-Mapping. 

PSO Recognition

The region has also been acknowledged by the Project Support Office for its outstanding performance for 2023 during the PSO-RPCO Year-End Assessment and Planning Workshop held in Batangas City last December 5, 2023.

Among the awards that the RPCO has received are: 1) Most Number of Operations and Maintenance Conducted; 2) Most Efficient in the Implementation of Procurement Timelines for I-REAP; 3) Best Implementing RPCO in Facilitating the Tax Deduction of Donated Land for Row; 4) Best RPCO in the Adoption and Practice of Applied Geo Tagging Tools (AGT); and 5) Best Performing Region in the Timely Submission of Administrative Documents. # (Danica A. Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)