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Monday, December 08, 2003
WB eyeing SoCot as expansion area
By Allen Estabillo
THE World Bank-funded Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) is considering including the province of South Cotabato as expansion area for the project's second phase that is scheduled to begin by the third quarter next year.
Department of Agriculture (DA) undersecretary for operations Edmundo Sana said the province has been identified as a potential site for MRDP's expansion plans, which would include at least 12 other provinces in Mindanao.
"Based on our agreement with (South Cotabato) Gov. Daisy Fuentes, the province would be included in the second phase of MRDP," Sana said.
The first phase of the project, which covered 32 towns in the provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Compostela Valley and Agusan del Sur started in March 2000 and ended this year.
Sana said DA, which supervises the program in close coordination with World Bank representatives, would begin the preparations this month, particularly the assessment and identification of the provinces that would be included in the program.
But he said they are set to begin the second phase after the May 10 synchronized local and national elections.
The MRDP is a 12-year project divided into four phases called the Adaptable Program Loan that is designed to reduce poverty and increase productivity and incomes of rural poor and indigenous communities in Mindanao.
The project is focused on the improvement of the agriculture sector through construction of farm-to-market roads and water supply and irrigation facilities, and by setting aside a community fund for coastal and marine bio-diversity conservation.
The World Bank initiative intends to pour in some P22-billion loan package for various development projects to the island's 24 provinces.
In choosing the province for MRDP's second phase, Sana said they primarily consider the consolidation of projects in the newly reconfigured Region XII or Central Mindanao region, wherein two of its four provinces - Sultan Kudarat and North Cotabato - were already included in the first phase.
The inclusion of South Cotabato would complete the region's participation in the MRDP, which has already identified Sarangani province early this year to be covered in expansion plan.
For MRDP's second phase, Sana said the priority projects would focus on infrastructure particularly farm to market roads, bridges, irrigation and potable water systems.
Citing consultations with various local government units in Mindanao, he said another emerging special concern is how to set up micro enterprises among local communities that would be covered by the infrastructure projects.
"The idea is that, even if the infrastructure components are set up the program will have lesser impact if we cannot boost the economic activities of the community-beneficiary," he said.
(December 8, 2003 issue)
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