August 8, 2014

LEGAZPI CITY –The Provincial Government of Albay through Governor Joey S. Salceda formalizes its partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) in the implementation of the Philippine Rural Development Program (PRDP) in the province with the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MoA) by the concerned parties on August 7, 2014. The momentous event took place at the Albay Astrodome during the Launching of the Bicol Rehabilitation Assistance for Glenda for the Agriculture Sector in this province.

Referring to the proposed Oas-Cagmanaba road in the Municipality of Oas, Salceda expressed his optimism that through the PRDP, more people will be liberated from the road opening in the upland barangays. He also complimented the DA for being the first agency to respond to the province after typhoon Glenda that made its landfall in Albay on July 15, leaving 0.8-billion-worth of crop damage in the province, second in the entire region next to Camarines Sur.

Salceda, DA Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, PRDP Luzon B Program Support Office (PSO) Program Coordinator Shandy M. Hubilla, and Officer-In-Charge Regional Executive Director Engr. Abelardo R. Bragas jointly signed the MOA with Dr. Elena B. de Los Santos, PRDP-Bicol focal person and Dr. Edgar R. Madrid, Regional Technical Director for Research and Regulations, as witnesses.

During the press conference, Alcala cited the PRDP as a long-term solution to perennial problems in the agriculture sector such as rice insufficiency, lack of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and climate change.

“Lahat ng lalawigan sa Pilipinas ay nag-iidentify ng top 20 crops nila. DA will help in the production and excess products will be sold to prospective markets,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bragas lauded Albay for being the first to submit the PRDP project proposal to the Program Management Office. Albay’s proposed rehabilitation and improvement of the 22-kilometer Pistola-Tablon FMR with three units bridge in the Municipality of Oas is the maiden I-BUILD sub-project for Bicol that has been reviewed, approved, and endorsed by the Regional Program Advisory Board (RPAB) last May 19, 2014 and is now awaiting the No Objection Letter (NOL) 1 issuance from the National Program Coordination Office (NPCO)-Program Support Office (PSO) on or before August 31, 2014. It can be recalled that Albay was selected by DA Regional Office as a PRDP pilot province with its proposed coco geonet production, the business plan for which is for finalization based on the NPCO’s evaluation.

PRDP is a six-year program with a total project cost worth P27.535 billion composed of P20.553 billion loan from the World Bank, P287-million grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), P3.579 billion from the national government and P3.118 billion equity from the local government units.
PRDP Director for Luzon B Cluster Shandy M. Hubilla said that P60 million is allotted for approved Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) projects while more or less P600 million is at stake for Intensified Building Up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD) projects in the region this year. (Annielyn L. Baleza, I-SUPPORT InfoACE Unit, DA-RAFID 5)