AFTER pulling P362.9-million development funds for mostly road-infrastructure projects and some community-driven projects last year, the Davao del Norte provincial government has pulled peace and rural development projects from two national programs totaling P624 million this year.
Provincial planning and development coordinator Josie Jean Rabanoz informed the provincial board that funds for road projects are now in the pipeline of concerned national agencies for implementation in the province.
These are the P409.8-million farm-to-market road rehabilitation from Philippine Rural Development Program under the Department of Agriculture (DA), and the P125.2-million for road opening and rehabilitation from Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana)-DILG Fund, Pamana is the peace and development flagship program of the Aquino administration that targets conflict-affected communities.
The provincial government only gave a counterpart funding of maximum 10 percent of the total costs of the projects, Rabanoz said.
Last year’s development projects totaling P362.9 million came from the province’s share of Special Local Road Fund, Pamana-DILG Fund, Pamana-DA, DA-Support to Emergency and Livelihood Assistance Project, DSWD-Community Driven Program and Davao Integrated Development Program.
The projects were mostly to rehabilitate farm-to-market roads. There was one project that went to the construction of peace-center building for Bangsamoro women in Panabo City.
It was as pre-identified by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP).
Rabanoz reported the accessed projects to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in their session Monday as the latter asked what were accomplished by the omnibus resolution that the body earlier approved that gave Gov. Rodolfo del Rosario the authority to enter, negotiate and sign contracts for development projects of various agencies.
The omnibus resolution helped in the fast project accessing as it serves as the ready cover on top of documentary, technical and funding counterpart requirements prepared by various provincial departments and technical working groups led by the provincial planning office.
“The province has been doing this…in using omnibus resolution for four years to five years already,” Rabanoz said in response to a query by the province’s Liga ng Barangay president Edgar Castillo on why contracts and other pertinent papers would “not be reviewed one by one” by the SP so that the body could be informed of it.