TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol during a consultative meeting with officials in the province underscored the need for the local government units (LGUs) to satisfy the requirements to avail of programs from the World Bank-funded Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).
These requirements include the assurance that there will be no problem on roads right of way, no parallel road, the proposed road begins from the farm production area going to the market, and the allotment of 10 percent LGU counterpart.
According to Piñol, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is currently challenged by how the agency will spend the P3B allotted for the PRDP projects which needs to be implemented this year, otherwise it will be reverted to the general fund.
Urging the local chief executives (LCEs) to submit their proposals and help the department to immediately use up the fund, Piñol advised the LCEs to come up with their counterparts.
The Secretary said, funding should not be a problem since being one of the Board of Directors of the Land Bank, he could assure the approval of loans in support of the PRDP program.
Just recently, his office, he said, has signed another funding from the World Bank amounting to US $450M. Including the counterpart from the Philippine Government, said fund he said, amounts to about P30B for next year’s PRDP program.
Under the new policy of the PRDP, the municipalities and cities, he said, could also come up with their own proposals and provide their 10 percent equity for the program, so they will not have to course these through the provincial government.
“Just comply with the requirements of World Bank to have the funding approval,” he said.
The province had been a beneficiary of the PRDP program towards the improvement of the local coffee industry. Part of this is the funding of the project’s three-fold components namely the I-Plan, I-Build and I-Reap.
Under the I-Build component, the province has implemented the P131M improvement of the Banneng-Gombowoy farm to market road (FMR) at Tanudan and the P196M FMR at Amlao, Tabuk City. Both FMRs traverse coffee production areas in the province.
During the meeting, the Tabuk City LGU through Mayor Ferdinand Tubban proposed for the PRDP to fund the improvement of the 10.5 kms Bado Dangwa-Guilayon FMR amounting to P95M. The LGU committed to allot the P10.5M counterpart. Said road is hoped to improve the poor access to the coffee and rice production areas in said upland barangays.
In the implementation of such projects, Secretary Piñol stressed that the Duterte Administration is now focused on changing the mind-set of policy makers and implementers by simplifying the delivery of basic services.
As a mandate concerning big projects, the public he said should not be left waiting for a project to be finished in five years time because of the phasing approach. What the Duterte Administration intends to do is to deliver all once funding is already available, he said.
He warned local officials against those claiming to be representing his office and asking for a monetary share in the project and told the LGUs to immediately apprehend such individuals. All PRDP projects he said are listed in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).
PRDP is designed to establish the government platform for a modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agriculture and fishery sector in partnership with the LGUs and the private sector to provide key infrastructure, facilities, technology and information, towards the improvement of incomes, productivity and competitiveness in the countryside.** Geraldine Dumallig
