DAVAO CITY — Projects from local government units (LGUs) that are submitting a proposal for the first time to the Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) will get priority consideration under the additional $170-million allocation approved by the World Bank (WB).

Ricardo M. Oñate, Jr., PRDP-Mindanao director, said there were already a number of proposals submitted prior to the fresh fund approval, which can now be considered with the available budget.

“Aside from our (Mindanao) current portfolio of P6.14 billion of combined agri-enterprises and infrastructure under PRDP, we still have a lot of project proposals waiting to be funded, so we take full advantage of this opportunity,” said Mr. Oñate in a statement.

The P6.14-billion funding is Mindanao’s share of the initial P27-billion funding for the PRDP.

Of the total Mindanao share, about P5.77 billion has been allocated for infrastructure development, including 117.46 kilometers of farm-to-market roads, two potable water systems for 1,266 households, and three post-harvest facilities for about 3,000 hectares of farms. Enterprise development, on the other hand, got about P365.07 million for 77 projects.

Data from the PRDP-Mindanao Office show that among the projects pending assessment are communal irrigation systems, potable water supply, slope protection, warehouses and green house projects.

Apart from the first-time applicant criterion, other priority considerations are whether the project is related to the LGU’s commodity action plan, and the LGU’s track record in implementing other projects.

The Philippine government sought for additional funding from WB after the initial P27 billion was fully allocated.

The six-year PRDP, launched in 2014 as a nationwide-scale version of the Mindanao Rural Development Program, is implemented through the Department of Agriculture.

In a statement released after the approval of the additional financing in January this year, Mara K. Warwick, WB country director for Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, said the PRDP is considered “one of the most innovative projects of the Philippines.”

“The practice of the Department of Agriculture of preparing provincial commodity investment plans together with local governments have empowered local executives to mobilize additional resources and bring in programs of other government agencies,” said Ms. Warwick. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

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