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Saturday, March 13, 2004
MRDP enters new phase with P7.2B
AGRICULTURE Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr. launched on Wednesday preparations for the second phase of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP), which is expected to benefit 18 provinces in Mindanao with projects worth US$128 million in the next five years.
In a dialogue with local executives led by Governors Emmanuel Piñol of North Cotabato and Daisy Avance-Fuentes of South Cotabato, Lorenzo said Japan has provided a grant of $987,684 (about P55 million) to prepare for MRDP 2, which is chiefly funded by the World Bank.
Lorenzo was accompanied by World Bank country portfolio manager Cris J. Hoban and Embassy of Japan financial attaché Hiromichi Sakuma.
He said MRDP 2 is designed to provide more farm-to-market roads, irrigation and water supply systems, bridges, community-based livelihood projects, and techno-demo farms to Mindanao communities.
"Like MRDP 1, (it) will have a direct impact on the agriculture and fishery sector," he said. Lorenzo said MRDP 1 completed 350 kilometers of farm-to-market roads, two bridges, 15 water supply and spring systems, and P28 million irrigation projects at a cost of P449.5 million, and funded livelihood projects worth P153 million. Some 100 rural infrastructure projects worth P535 million are still ongoing.
MRDP 1 is due to end in June, paving the way for MRDP 2, which started January.
From the initial five provinces (Maguindanao, Agusan del Sur, Compostela Valley, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat), MRDP's coverage area will be expanded to cover 18 provinces. Agusan del Norte, the two Lanao provinces, Maguindanao, Sarangani, the two Surigao provinces, the three Zamboanga provinces, and Misamis Occidental are among those that have applied for inclusion in the MRDP.
After the five-year MRDP 2, a third phase will be implemented to cover the entire Mindanao. All in all, MRDP is estimated to cost some P22 billion.
MRDP 2's P7.2-billion fund comes from the World Bank loan, Global Environment Facility (GEF), and counterpart funds from the national government and local government units.
Lorenzo said MRDP managers are set to use a revised Management Information System (MIS) as "we will step up the assessment of all MRDP infrastructure projects with regard to their operation, maintenance, materials testing and quality control."
Likewise, the MRDP will strengthen municipal and barangay facilitators and peoples' organizations, who will eventually take over functions of the current MRDP community organizing specialists, he said.
He said the DA will set up a feedback system to monitor the plans and programs of the LGUs. The agency's regional offices have been tasked to assess in detail the benefits and impact of MRDP to rural communities, particularly on the productivity and incomes of farmers, fishers and other folks.
(March 13, 2004 issue)
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