RDC, DILG to check barangay, peace projs in Cordillera Region

By Joseph Joshua C. Sibaen

BAGUIO CITY -- The Cordillera regional project monitoring committee (RPMC-CAR) shall join the regional Dept. of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)  and Cordillera Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (RTF-ELCAC) in future project monitoring and inspection to ensure proper implementation of Support to Barangay Development Program (SBDP). 
    This was agreed upon during the RPMC’s meeting last Feb. 8 presided by committee chair and National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Cordillera regional director Susan Sumbeling.
    DILG-Cordillera Administrative Region Engineer Lorielane Ferrer presented status of SBDP projects in CAR. 
    For fiscal year 2021, the Cordillera received a total of P160 million to fund 25 projects in eight communist groups-cleared barangays in provinces of Abra (6), Kalinga (1) and Mountain Province (1).
    As of Jan. 25, of 25 projects, three projects have been completed while12 are ongoing. 
    During project monitoring led by DILG-CAR from November 2021 to January 2022, it was found out most of ongoing projects were problematic.
    The RPMC, created by virtue of EO 376, is composed of seven government agencies and three nongovernment organizations. 

It is the project monitoring arm of the Cordillera Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) responsible for monitoring and evaluation of priority programs and projects implemented in the region, particularly those that are encountering problems and those worthy of replication. 

It submits monitoring reports and recommendations generated during problem-solving sessions to RDC-CAR for information and appropriate action.

As the technical secretariat of RPMC, NEDA-CAR listed these 25 SBDP projects under the regional project monitoring and evaluation system (RPMES) to facilitate  monitoring and evaluation.