LGU Pangasinan to sign MOA with DA for rural dev’t project

Lingayen- - -The Pangasinan Provincial Board has authorized Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. to enter into and sign an amended Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Agriculture (DA) for the implementation of the Philippine Rural Development Project (PDRP) and its sub-projects in the province.

The crafting of MOA was made possible via Provincial Resolution No. 1911-2016 which was approved by the members of the provincial board headed by Vice Governor Jose Ferdinand Z. Calimlim, Jr. in its regular session last February 15.

The PDRP is a cost-sharing program designed to establish the government platform for a modern, climate-smart, and market-oriented agri-fishery sector. It focuses on expanding market access and improving competitiveness while introducing reforms in the internal operations of the agriculture department.

The program contributes to inclusive growth by unleashing potential of rural producers by investing in targeted, climate resilient agri-fishery infrastructure and by upgrading value to agri-based enterprises identified in ground-validated Provincial Commodity Investment Plans linked to national commodity road maps.

In the case of the province, Dalisay Moya, OIC of the Office of the Provincial Agriculture, said the identification of projects to include farm-to-market roads was based on the requirements of the PDRP in conformation with the standards set by the World Bank.

Moya said that for the province’s agri-fishery commodities crops such as mango, onion, peanuts as well as goat under livestock production were considered as prime concerns.

The program has the following components:

1.      Investments in Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Program Planning at the Local and National Levels;

2.      Intensified Building up of Infrastructure and Logistics for Development (I-BUILD);

3.      Investments in Rural Enterprises and Agriculture and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP), and

4.      Implementation Support to PRDP (I-SUPPORT).

PRDP has a total cost of P27.5 billion for all projects nationwide, of which 92 percent is designed to deliver goods and services directly to the people through I-BUILD and I-REAP. It is funded by the World Bank (75%), National Government (13%), local government units (11%) and a grant from Global Environment Facility (1%).

PRDP employs geo-tagging and geo-mapping to enhance transparency and supervision of development projects. The said tools are used for strategic planning for agricultural development intervention, informing project implementation, effectively communicating gaps and overlaps and engaging beneficiaries for citizen’s feedback.

Likewise, it employs vulnerability and suitability analysis in ranking of municipalities for PRDP prioritization while mapping and spatial analysis is used to inform and target PRDP project allocations and funds.

As such, Provincial Planning and Development Officer Benita Pizarro disclosed that the amendment of the MOA was done to rectify some clause in the previous agreement that states that the project implementation shall be from 2013 to 2019.

The period of implementation is extended until the year 2021, Pizarro explained, as she stated that the amendment was done for the purpose. (Ruby R. Bernardino)