DavOr cited as best performing LGU in MRDP project implementation

DAVAO ORIENTAL, December 9, 2014— The Provincial Government of Davao Oriental bagged several awards from the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP), during its culmination program held in Davao City last Wednesday, December 3,  as it was recognized for its exemplary performance in the implementation of projects under the MRDP2.

Davao Oriental was hailed Best Performing ProvincialLocal Government Unit in the entire region in terms of rural infrastructure implementation, specially citing its remarkable accomplishment in the completion of the big-ticket, P289 million Cateel Irrigation System, which is by far one of MRDP’s biggest projects.

As the MRDP lauded the province’s noteworthy efforts towards this monumental accomplishment, it also hailed Davao Oriental as a model LGU that would serve as a benchmark in the whole country in terms of national and local government partnership.

“Concretely, we see here in this project the dynamic beauty of complementation of efforts –the commitment and support of LGUs and other stakeholders, how government funds and assistance from an international financial institution are gradually helping us gain a more secure footing in the wake of Super Typhoon Pablo and Tropical Depression Agaton, towards the socio-economic development of the Province, as a whole,” said Governor Corazon N. Malanyaon in a message conveyed by the Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator, Freddie C. Bendulo.

An MRDP-World Bank-funded project with counterparts from the Department of Agriculture and the Provincial Government, this massive irrigation dam considered to be one of Mindanao’s biggest, is touted to boost rice production and make the province 100% rice sufficient.

The conception of this massive irrigation project stemmed from the dream of achieving self-sufficiency in food production by 2016.

In line with the province’s Rice Sufficiency Program, the Provincial Government recognizes, not just the wealth of agricultural resources of the province, but also the necessity of tapping these very resources for the people’s benefit to address the primordial concerns such as food security and agricultural productivity, among others.

Surviving two major calamities—the Supertyphoon Pablo in 2012 and Tropical Depression Agaton in 2014, the construction of the mammoth project was completed in a span of only seven months as the provincial government t remained true to its commitment to pursue the project no matter what.

Governor Malanyaon, who was awarded with the Outstanding Achievement Award for her extraordinary leadership, had conveyed her thanks to the MRDP for helping the province realize this novel project.

“Indeed, apart from the World Bank and the MRDP-PSO, we are very much indebted to the MRDP-RPCO for their unwavering trust and confidence in our institutional capacity to implement, even when it seemed like all hope was lost during those trying times and for having answered the long-felt need of a new functional irrigation system in Cateel, to match the pressing demand for rice production sufficiency in the entire Province.  It is the veritable shot in the arm that is now infusing enthusiasm among farmers, who used to dream only of having their rain-dependent rice lands irrigated, to be able to utilize water resources year-round,” she said.

The MRDP culmination program was held as way of celebratingthe milestones the program had achieved in improving and touching lives of many rural farmers. As it now transitions to Philippine Rural Development Program, which expands its services in the entire country, the program vows to pursue its vision of implementing projects that will make massive impact towards poverty reduction and developing agriculture in the countryside. (By KLD/DO PIO)