Mayor's nod sought for agri projects

CEBU, Philippines – The Talisay City Council has asked Mayor Johnny "JVR" De los Reyes to sign for and on behalf of the city government a memorandum of agreement with Department of Agriculture for the implementation of projects approved under the Grassroots Participatory Budgeting process.

GPB, formerly called Bottoms-up Budgeting, is a strategy in pursuing the Millennium Development Goals of the government in reducing poverty as indicated in the 2011-2016 Philippine Development Plan.

Councilor Antonio Bacaltos, Jr., in proposed resolution No. 2014-38-1, said a total of P3.040 million will be transferred to the city government as allocated for the GPBP project.

According to Bacaltos, the projects are intended to help address poverty and underdevelopment in the areas where they are to be implemented.

The DA-7, as the implementing arm in Central Visayas, has been tasked to implement its Grassroots Participatory Budgeting Process projects that aim to reduce poverty from 33.1 percent in 1991 to 16.6 percent by 2015.

The funds from the Department of Agriculture were received by DA-7 under the 2014 appropriations with the following projects: National High Value Crops Program, Small/Communal Irrigation System, Promotion and Development of Organic Production, and National Fisheries Program as requested by the concerned local government units through the Local Poverty Reduction Action Team and validated by the DA-7.

"The LGU - City of Talisay has the administrative and technical capability to implement the eligible GPBP projects and is without an outstanding unliquidated fund with the DA-7. The DA-7 and City of Talisay are committed and are collaborating with each other for the successful implementation of the GPBP projects in the region, bearing in mind that the projects are to reduce the poverty incidence," Bacaltos said.