Select residents and barangay officials from Barangay Aguas in Rizal, Occidental Mindoro participated in the Citizen Monitoring Tool (CMT) Training held by the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) MIMAROPA, March 12-13, 2025.

The CMT Training is one of the mandates of DA-PRDP for its infrastructure subprojects. This training aims to capacitate members of the Barangay Implementing Team (BIT) to personally monitor the construction and implementation of the subprojects that benefit them.

This two-day training included an in-depth discussion of relevant construction concepts during the first day. These concepts include Management Support System, Contract Review Process, Inspection and Testing Procedures, Document Control Procedures, and Operation and Maintenance Procedures.

Also included in the series of discussions are the Social and Environmental aspects that affect citizens as well as the introduction to the Geotagging Tool to be used for documentation and transparency.

The second day of the training included a walk-through of the actual subproject where the Barangay Inspectorate Team got to see firsthand the construction concepts introduced to them the day prior.

Aguas Barangay Captain Cesar Dela Cruz expressed his appreciation for the conduct of the said activity.

“Salamat sa lahat. Ngayon ay magkakaroon na kami ng tulay at ng magandang kalsada. Thank you po at ibinahagi ninyo sa amin ang sistema sa pag-implement, kung ano ba ang dapat gawin ng contractor. Naipaalam po sa amin ang proseso sa pagtugon sa mga reklamo. Ito po ay makakatulong sa amin at sa aking mga ka-barangay. Sana ay patuloy pong maging maganda, maayos, at mapadali ang paggawa ng ating kalsada,” ani Kapitan Dela Cruz.

(Thank you for everything. Now we will have a bridge and a proper road. Thank you for sharing the implementation process, the things that the contractor is supposed to do. Now we know the process of addressing grievances. This will help us and other members of our barangay. We hope for the proper and speedy construction of our road.)

The said CMT Training was conducted for the subproject Construction of Surong Bridge and Upgrading of Barangay Aguas Farm to Market Road. With a span of 4.68 kilometers (120 linear meters bridge) and a total cost of Php214.468 million, this subproject aims to provide better transport opportunities to more than 2,500 residents along its Road Influence Area. ###

Rural Infrastructure Engineers Engr. Kim and Engr. Jerome Layson led the subproject walk-through where participants got to see firsthand the construction concepts which were discussed on the first day of the training. (Photo by Danica Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)

Select residents of Barangay Aguas together with the Occidental Mindoro PPMIU, subproject contractor, and PRDP PSO and RPSO completed the walk-through of the subproject. (Photo by Danica Brutas, DA-PRDP MIMAROPA RPCO InfoACE Unit)