DA 7 Lures LGUs To Avail PRDP Offer

All local government units in Central Visayas are invited by the Department of Agriculture (DA)7 to avail the offer by the foreign government whose aim is to help improve the countrysides through the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP).

Regional Technical Director (RTD) Marina T. Hermoso made the invitation yesterday morning through the Kapihan sa PIA held at the PIA.

Hermoso said the US government has allotted $250 million to the Philippines just to improve the mood of living on all Filipinos especially the poor.

This is how the US government visualize the nature of living in the Philippines which prompted them to make moves by granting this developmental aid to the country, Hermoso said.

“So why should we not grab this opportunity which is only limited for six years, and upon failure to move, this will be given to the other regions,” she said.

Hermoso added that the American people are concerned about the state of the Filipino poor which, they said deserves progress like what other developed countries had. This because the Philippines owned the vast raw materials being used and processed now by other countries and then import these back to the Philippines, she added.

“But all these will just remain a vision unless all necessary facilities such as roads, water , light and other necessities are present,” Hermoso said.

The American government has seen all these problems especially in the rural areas, and this the reason why they launched the PRDP through DA, Hermoso said.

But Hermoso told the DA also needs the participation and cooperation of LGUs in planning and even in the implementation of rural projects.

It is impractical for the DA to implement rural such as roads, bridges, water, lights and other infrastructures or even livelihood projects without and earlier approval of LGus in any certain areas, Hermoso explained.

She explained that it is also necessary that the LGU will have to invest certain amounts for its counterparts to the total cost of any projects to be implemented in their areas of jurisdiction.

“The DA here will just serve as a recommending and signatory office to the PRDP to enhance the approval of the planned rural projects,” she said.

Among the four provinces in Central Visayas, only the province of Bohol has already identified projects which is due to be implemented starting either at the middle or last quarter of this year.

These are the farm-to-market roads with an estimated cost of P200 million, and Carabao Milk plant which also cost around P12 million.

She said this is due to the active involvement of the Bohol LGUs headed by its vibrant provincial governor.

She added the only funding made by the Bohol LGUs , was to pay its own counterpart equivalent only to 10 per cent of the total amount of the projects.

According to Hermoso, the contract already got both the “no objection letter” (NOL)-1, which means these are already approved for funding; and NOL-2 which is ready for released by the World Bank supposedly last December 2014 yet.

However, Hermoso said that in Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, some LGUs in these provinces have adopted the “wait and see attitude” saying they have to wait the Bohol PRDP projects to realize.

Hermoso urged LGUs in the provinces to avail this big opportunity while it is being targeted to provinces most affected by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake last October 2013 and super typhoon Yolanda in November.

She said there are at least one city and 15 municipalities surrounding the northern Cebu being considered as mostly devastated by the two natural disasters.

These are the four municipalities in Camotes islands, three towns in Bantayan islands,the city of Bogo, the towns of Daanbantayan, San Remegio, Medellin, Tabogon, Sogod, Tabuelan and Tuburan in Cebu mainland.

If the said LGUs are reluctant to make a compromise to avail this big help, “it is not the leading government officials who may considered as unfortunate but it’s the people who will be unluckily lost, Hermoso said.