Camotes town gets P1M livelihood project

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Project Advisory Board approved the P1 million small livelihood sub-project proposal for San Francisco town in Camotes Island to be funded under the Philippine Rural Development Project of the Department of Agriculture.

The Provincial Information Office reported that the sub-project was approved with only minor revisions during the RPAB review last March 12.

The livelihood, dubbed as the “Cassava Production and Marketing Project,” covers 32 hectares of cassava plantation in San Francisco town.

Estella Rodriguez, project management officer of PRDP, said the approval went smoothly because some of the documentary requirements were waived to accommodate the need of the typhoon Yolanda-stricken areas.

Sub-projects below P15 million, like the small livelihood sub-project in San Francisco, only need to be issued with “No Objection Letter-1” so the fund allocation can be downloaded.

The NOL-1 also signals the local government unit to proceed with the publication of the invitation to bid.

Rodriguez said the fund for the livelihood is expected to be downloaded in three months time.

The proponent of the sub-project is the Camotes Multi-Purpose Cooperative- Poblacion, San Francisco, which would shoulder 20 percent of the total project cost as equity, according to the PIO.

The Capitol, for its part, set aside fund which would represent its 20 percent counterpart to the remaining 80 percent of the project cost as required under the agreement.

This livelihood sub-project is part of the Investment for Rural Enterprises and Agricultural and Fisheries Productivity (I-REAP) component of PRDP.

Victor Geralde, head of Capitol’s I-REAP Unit, said Camotes is the top producing area of cassava in Cebu.

“Camotes Island produced more than half of the 2,000 tons of locally-produced cassava,” he said. 

At least P7 million is allotted by the Capitol this year as counterparts for identified livelihood projects under PRDP funding.

Meanwhile, the Capitol’s proposed P187 million farm-to-market road (FMR) sub-project proposals are set to be reviewed this April 15.

The Capitol set aside P30 million, which represents its 10 percent counterpart to the FMR project.

RPAB is composed of different regional directors of the national government agencies and chaired by the regional executive director of the Department of Agriculture-7.

The PRDP is part of the P27.5 billion six-year program of the DA that aims to reduce poverty and create livelihood opportunities, according to DA’s official website.

The project was bankrolled through the loan proceeds from the World Bank, the funding institution.  (FREEMAN)