The World Bank and the European Union continue to support the Department of Agriculture Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) through the Second Additional Financing Loan from World Bank and the European Union Co-Financing Grant to expand the coverage and provide more enterprise and infrastructure development projects in rural communities in Mindanao.

The $280 million (PHP 15.4B) Second Additional Financing (AF-2) was utilized to respond to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and was aligned to support the economic recovery efforts of the Department of Agriculture (DA). This was complemented with a €20 million (PHP1.18B) grant from the European Union meant to contribute to PRDP’s engagements in Mindanao with priority for conflict-affected regions, areas with Indigenous People (IP), low-income class Local Government Units (LGUs), and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

To ensure successful subproject implementation, the World Bank Team, and the European Union Delegation, is set to visit three (3) Mindanao PRDP project sites in the Davao Region during the 15th World Bank-European Union Implementation Support Mission (15th WB-EUISM) from April 17-19, 2023. In this mission, consultations with the project beneficiaries, as well as technical meetings with the DA-PRDP Mindanao team and other key project stakeholders will be carried out. The mission will hold a press conference on April 17, 2023, at the Apo View Hotel to give updates on implementing DA-PRDP’s subprojects in Mindanao.

The subprojects to be visited include the completed P20 million worth “Chocolate Processing” with the Rehoboth Agriculture Cooperative (RACO) in Panabo City; the ongoing P18 million worth “Green Coffee Beans Processing and Marketing” subproject with Tibolo Farm Workers Association (TIFWA) in Davao del Sur; and the P103 million worth “Rehabilitation of Ibo-Pitu, Malalag Farm-to-Market Road” in Malalag Davao del Sur.

During the opening meeting for the 15th ISM on April 11, 2023, DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban emphasized the importance of the conduct of the mission in ensuring the proper and successful implementation of subprojects on the ground.

“This 15th World Bank – European Union Implementation Support Mission is very important to the Department, as it is a useful feedback-gathering and monitoring venue for the PRDP Project Team, where we derive inputs from improving and calibrating the PRDP strategies on the ground,” said USEC Panganiban. “Many of the achievements, lessons learned, and best practices that laid down the foundation for recognizing PRDP as a potent platform for agri-fishery-based development emanated from the discussions of the previous Mission.”

Ms. Dina Umali-Deininger, the World Bank Agriculture Practice Manager for East Asia

and Pacific Region, congratulated the DA-PRDP Team for the continued good implementation progress of the project. She reiterated the Bank’s priority accorded to

the country’s agriculture sector. “PRDP is an effective platform to support the

Department’s partnership with Local Government Units in providing technical, capacity building, and financial assistance to farmers’ and fisherfolk organizations. We are very happy to support this project in partnership with the European Union. Our institutions’ commitment to support the sector, and especially Mindanao, is a very important and critical part of our Country Partnership Framework. We look forward to the continued quality and timely implementation of the project to enable the achievement of the project’s development objective of increasing rural incomes and enhancing farm and fishery productivity in the project areas”.

At the meeting, Mr. Christoph Wagner, the Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to the Philippines, stated, “The EU is a long-standing development partner supporting the Mindanao region. The EU’s support of PRDP forms part of the Mindanao Peace and Development Programme (MINPAD-RISE Mindanao).

Together with other flagship programmes which focus on the BARMM region for a total of PHP 8.2 billion, this particular cooperation with the DA and the World Bank will help to support infrastructure development and enterprise activities of vulnerable communities. By supporting socio-economic activities this partnership will directly contribute to better livelihoods, peace and stability.”

The three-day activity in Davao will be the first time the mission will be conducted face-to-face in Mindanao after more than two years of online implementation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. # (Joy Montecalvo, PSO Mindanao)