World Bank lauds Bulacan for agri project initiatives

MANILA, Philippines – The World Bank lauded the Bulacan provincial government for involving the community and various stakeholders in the implementation of sub-projects funded under the Department of Agriculture’s Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP).

The PRDP, the government’s main platform for rural development, aims to improve rural economy by operationalizing local-level convergence among agricultural stakeholders, synergizing programs and projects for modern, climate-smart and market-oriented agri-fishery sector that benefits the greater segment of farmers and fishers.  

During the World Bank team visit in San Ildefonso on Oct. 13, the delegates were impressed with the involvement and participation of the residents in the planning, procurement, and implementation of the various PRDP initiatives. 

Bulacan provincial government has recently received approval for the implementation of a 9.8-kilometer farm-to-market road in San Ildefonso, and is currently awaiting the approval for funding of their enterprise development for the Triple B Charantin sub-project. 

A farmer from Brgy. Bukal donated a part of a land affected by the road improvement while one cooperative member donated 750 square meters of land for the construction of a processing facility for the I-REAP project. 

I-REAP proponent groups in the municipality have also attended series of trainings in business plan preparation and financial management to further capacitate them in handling the enterprise development sub-project. 

The I-REAP sub-project proposed by the PLGU worth P14.9 million aims to improve the production, processing, and marketing of ampalaya as ingredient for herbal capsules and tea which are promoted as anti-diabetic supplement. 

Bulacan Provincial Project Management and Implementation Unit head Arlene Pascual said the arrangement with farmers in supervising the construction of the road is also underway. 

“This is to ensure that the project is implemented correctly by the contractor and the local government,” she said. 

The World Bank delegates were impressed to see that the community is aware and enthusiastic about the projects, but advised them to learn basic skills to see if the project is implemented properly.