BOAC, Marinduque — The World Bank (WB) officials unanimously lauded the quality of the sub-projects they visited with the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) in Marinduque on November 26, as part of the 18th Implementation Support Mission to the PRDP.
The team visited the P11.5 million Marinduque Swine Meat Processing in Sta. Cruz and the 5.13-kilometer Improvement/Upgrading of Caganhao-Amoingon-Maybo Farm-to-Market Road (FMR) in Boac. Both sub-projects are above 90 percent complete and are expected to be finished by December 2024.
WB Task Team Leader to the PRDP Mio Takada shared with Governor Presbitero J. Velasco Jr. during the exit conference that her team had an excellent field visit and was impressed with the overall implementation of the sub-projects.
“I must say, both sub-projects were very impressive. With the swine meat processing sub-project, I was impressed with the commitment and ownership of the cooperative. They have a clear idea of what to do and how this enterprise will bring additional income to farmers and cooperative members,” Takada said.
The Task Team Leader also lauded the speedy construction of the FMR, “it was quite a long distance, but I was impressed with how you managed to construct this in a relatively short time.”
WB Rural Infrastructure Engineer Raul Azanza affirmed Takada’s observations, noting the quality of the FMR and meat processing facility’s construction. In addition, he recommended improvements to the structures such as the extension of the perimeter fence for the processing facility and the strengthening of the slope protections for the FMR.
Apart from the structural quality of the sub-projects, WB Co-Task Team Leader Maria Theresa Quiñones highlighted the provincial local government unit’s (PLGU) role in successfully implementing the sub-projects and their pro-activeness during the visit.
“You have an A-Team in the Provincial Project Monitoring and Implementation Unit. They have immediate answers to our questions and have even thought about it before,” Quiñones said.
She also commended the PLGU for doing their due diligence in choosing the best contractors resulting in the good quality of the sub-projects.
Moreover, the other WB officials underscored the presence of linkages and collaborations with other technical agencies that will ensure that the swine meat processing enterprise will be fully operational and compliant with safety requirements, the convergence of all stakeholders of the sub-projects, and the compliance with environmental standards.
Gov. Velasco assured the Bank that the PLGU will closely monitor the sub-projects to ensure they will be completed on time and that all issues and recommendations will be resolved. He also expressed gratitude for the economic and social benefits the sub-projects will bring to Marinduqueños.
“The Provincial Government is fully supportive of the projects. We’re happy and thankful that these projects came along and we are fully aware of the many benefits these will bring to our people,” he said.
The Marinduque Swine Meat Processing is a start-up enterprise managed by the Farm Operators of Marinduque Multipurpose Cooperative (FOMMCO). The co-op will source live hogs from their members which they will process into meat products such as tocino and longganisa. The intervention includes the construction of a processing facility and storage building, and the provision of equipment, vehicles, and production supplies.
More than 3,000 farmers in the three barangays along the Php103.39-M Caganhao-Amoingon-Maybo FMR will benefit from the sub-project. It will primarily support the province’s coconut industry. — Marinduquenews.com
