RPMC urges local gov’ts: Form groups to monitor gov’t projects

By Marlo Lubguban

BAGUIO CITY - The Cordillera Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC) presented recently  a Dept. of Interior and Local Government memorandum for local government units to organize their respective local project monitoring committees.

DILG memorandum circular 2019-188 mandated organization or reconstitution of sub-regional project monitoring committees.

This is to ensure  closer monitoring of government projects currently implemented. DBM-CAR Director and RPMC Co-Chair Irene Gahid said that it is important to form these local committees to address project implementation issues especially at the onset of implementation delays. “There are issues that can be resolved at their level that doesn’t have to be elevated to the RPMC”, she added.

The provinces of Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, and Mountain Province have already formed their local project monitoring committees. Kalinga took the extra step and managed to capacitate personnel at municipality and barangay levels for project monitoring. Director Gahid also noted the Mountain Province committee has a significant private sector membership. “Mountain Province’s is known for its aggressive community involvement. I hope that LGUs can copy the good practices of each other for a region-wide impact on our development”, she said.

The RPMC emphasized that widespread on-site monitoring and inspection at the local level is particularly crucial with the current administration’s efforts for a whole-of-nation approach to ending the local communist armed conflict.

During the meeting, NEDA-CAR presented the framework of Executive Order 70 which created the Task Force Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC) program to alert the local project monitoring committees on the need to monitor projects in influenced barangays. The local committees are required to submit Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System (RPMES) forms to the DILG and RPMC for consolidation.

The Cordillera Regional Project Monitoring Committee gathers government agencies, civil society organizations, and local government units to monitor and address government-implemented projects. It monitors, inspects, and validates projects under complete or partial implementation in the Cordillera. It also provides problem-solving sessions for delayed projects and visits on-time and excellent projects to learn about their good practices in implementation. As of February 4, 2020, the RPMC has indicated a total of 271 projects in the region flagged for delays. -- NEDA-SPCAR