The province of Davao del Norte is availing of more than P300-million worth of agricultural infrastructure and livelihood projects from the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP).
Nine out of 11 local government units in the province are now beating the deadline for the submission of project proposals to the MRDP which is a long-term poverty alleviation program across Mindanao that is jointly funded by the World Bank, national and local governments, and project proponents.
Governor Rodolfo del Rosario has urged the LGUs to take full advantage of the program now that equity for projects has been reduced from 50 percent to only 10 percent.
Del Rosario said he wished that all of the LGUs in the province were able to join the program in line with his thrust of intensifying infrastructure projects and opening up more income opportunities in the barangays.
With the governor’s shift of his focus to a people-oriented development strategy, he now wants the MRDP to take care of the infrastructure component of his Project NOBLE (No Barangay Left Behind).
Del Rosario, who is also a member of the MRDP advisory board, said he hopes Davao del Norte’s long list of proposals will be able to help pull up Region 11’s standing in terms of availing the package of development investments from the program.
Provincial planning and development officer Engr. Josie Jean Rabanos gathered the planning officers of the covered LGUs at the Bulwagan ng Lalawigan to ensure that the proponents will be able to come up with all the necessary documents early this month.
She likewise bared that the province is also taking advantage of the inclusion of provincial government units (PGUs) as the direct implementers of livelihood projects by submitting more than P50-million worth of infrastructure projects to be undertaken by the province.
The projects include the farm-to-market road (FMR) connecting barangays Suaon and Gupitan in Kapalong town and barangay Monte Dujali of the municipality of San Isidro; improvement of a FMR connecting Dagohoy, Talaingod to Semong, Kapalong with bridge component; as well as the rehabilitation of FMRs connecting New Visayas, sitios Lingoyon, Binancian, Asuncion , Davao del Norte to Longanapan, Laak, Compostela Valley province.
The Davao del Norte contingent, led by Gov. Del Rosario were in full attendance at the MRDP-LGU consultation in Cagayan de Oro City last January 28 which was presided over by Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala.
The governor said their massive campaign for more LGUs to avail of the program worked well enough, such that proposals for funding reached P6 billion, far exceeding the remaining available MRDP fund of P4 billion.
However, Del Rosario remain optimistic after Alcala pledged to take the matter up with the national government and the World Bank to increase the budget so that the program will be able to cover all the projects being proposed by the LGUs before it ends in December next year.
“I hope President Benigno Aquino and the World Bank will agree to increase the MRDP budget so that we can really build up the agriculture potential of Mindanao,” he said.
