The Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), the European Union (EU), and the World Bank (WB) held the kickoff meeting for the 17th WB Implementation Support Mission to the Project, at the DA Central Office in Quezon City on April 22, to assess the project’s progress and performance.
The mission aims to evaluate the subproject’s sustainability and achievements and assess if the Project meets its key result frameworks. Additionally, it will discuss if the Project is compliant with fiduciary and safeguard regulations, finance, disbursement, and audit requirements.
In his opening message, Secretary Francisco Tiu P. Laurel Jr. of the Department of Agriculture (DA) emphasized the remarkable achievements of DA-PRDP in promoting growth and inclusivity in the agri-fishery sector. He pointed out that the program has made significant investments, each with unique benefits that cater to the most pressing needs of the farmers and fisherfolk beneficiaries.
“Under the guidance of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we are implementing the Department’s four-year plan to boost productivity, sufficiency, and efficiency of the agri-food system. The PRDP has been recognized as a standard in rural development. We have reached even greater heights and expanded undertakings to realize the vision of a competitive and productive agricultural sector,” Secretary Tiu Laurel said.
He also highlighted that the department has embraced digitalization to enhance service delivery, and plans to establish a National Information Network (NIN) for agriculture and fishery, digitizing services, enhancing accessibility, and addressing the digital gap among target beneficiaries.
According to U-Nichols A. Manalo, OIC—Assistant Secretary for Operations and OIC-National Project Director of PRDP-NPCO, the project has executed 1,349 subprojects in 16 regions, benefiting 691,970 households. It has built a total of 2,089.55 kilometers of roads and 2,127.44 meters of bridges, as well as established 127 pre- and post-harvest facilities. Additionally, it improved irrigation or drainage services on 2,816.26 hectares of land and provided potable water to 15,990 households. Over 650 enterprise development subprojects were completed, benefitting 945 proponent groups and 142,422 individuals.
In his message, DA Undersecretary for Operations Engr. Roger V. Navarro encouraged implementers to uphold the values of transparency, accountability, and integrity in all our actions and decisions as the foundation of our implementation.
“Implementers should take immediate and thorough action to ensure that the funds provided to us are utilized efficiently and that the project’s process is followed with utmost integrity,” Usec. Navarro stressed.
Representatives from the WB, officials from the DA, PRDP National Project Coordination Office, Project Support Offices, and Regional Project Coordination Offices were present at the kick-off.
According to World Bank Task Team Leader Mio Takada, the World Bank and PRDP are taking steps to improve implementation and integrate investments for a more impactful and transformative project.
After the kick-off, the DA-PRDP and WB will conduct inspections on the implementation and progress of I-REAP and I-BUILD subprojects (SPs) in Visayas and Mindanao. The team will engage with the implementing local government units and proponent groups during their visit to seven subprojects. Four subprojects will be visited in Bohol, and three in the Davao Region. (text by Julie Ace Brandon R. Barao/photo by Ana Victoria Margallo, InfoACE NPCO)
