Alcala defends DAP, says it helped fund infra projs

MANILA, Philippines - Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala yesterday defended the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), saying it has actually helped fund rural infrastructure.

According to Alcala, the DAP, a P145-billion economic stimulus fund created in 2011, helped accelerate the implementation of the second phase of the World-Bank supported Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP).

Alcala said the DA used a total of P919.3 million from DAP as counterpart funds to co-finance the projects of local government projects participating in the MRDP.

These, he said, included communal irrigation systems, farm-to-market roads, potable water facilities and single-lane bridges implemented around MRDP areas that include 225 municipalities from 26 provinces across Mindanao.

Alcala said that prior to the release of funds under the DAP, MRDP was a slow-moving project because very few LGUs could afford the counterpart fund, which was placed at 50 percent.

Alcala said that to attract more participants, the DA lowered the equity of LGUs to just 10 percent with the DA and the World Bank financing the required 90 percent of the cost of the projects.

The implementation of the second phase of the MRDP was concluded in June.

Alcala said DAP funds were used to complete the construction and rehabilitation of communal irrigation systems (CIS) with a total service area of 3,326 hectares, and the establishment of 21 units of potable water system.

DAP funds also allowed the completion or rehabilitation of some 640.6 kilometers of farm-to-market roads (FMRs) and 377.9 linear meters of single-lane bridges.

DAP funds, said Alcala, also enabled MRDP to monitor the progress and implementation of its projects, and prevent fraud or alternations in the project plans.

“The World Bank took notice of these achievements and so we have now the PRDP (Philippine Rural Development Program) in the pipeline, similar to MRDP but wider in scope as it will cover the entire country,” Alcala said.

To be funded largely by World Bank loan proceeds along with counterpart funds from LGUs and the Agriculture department, the P27.5-billion PRDP would be implemented over six years as the agency’s platform for value-chain development and creation of a climate-resilient agri-fisheries sector.