MANDAUE CITY, September 20, 2022 – In preparation for the Phase 2 implementation of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program in Central Visayas, a consultative meeting was held at the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 7 from August 31 to September 1, 2022.
All SAAD provincial focal persons and coordinators from its covered provinces – Bohol, Negros Oriental, and Siquijor – along with the regional program staff attended the said event. The consultation tackled strategies for the formulation of program plans within the extension period of the program from FY 2023 to 2028.
With the second phase targeting new beneficiaries, Cebu will be included in the SAAD-covered provincial areas. Currently, a total of 24 municipalities were identified to benefit from the extended program. The basis would be the new criteria set by the program which are 5th and 6th income class municipalities and the top third municipalities with the highest poverty incidence rates excluding BARMM.
For Cebu, eight (8) municipalities will be included namely Malabuyoc, Alcantara, Ronda, Boljoon, Alcoy, Samboan, Tudela, and Pilar. Meanwhile, Bohol will be incorporating 11 municipalities namely Dagohoy, San Isidro, Anda, Batuan, Lila, Sevilla, Clarin, Sikatuna, Cortes, Loay, and Alburquerque.
In Siquijor, 4 municipalities: Larena, Maria, San Juan, and Enrique Villanueva will be receiving projects. Lastly, Negros Oriental will expand to include the municipality of San Jose.
Additionally, the preparation on the development of Phase 1 terminal plans, financial, and physical accomplishment were also discussed. With the new set of criteria applied for the Phase 2 implementation, there would be municipalities that would remain as beneficiaries of the program since they still met the eligibility criteria. Further, municipalities which were not identified as beneficiaries during the Phase 1 implementation but reflected the needed standards from the Phase 2 criteria will be added as new program recipients. However, municipalities and cities from Phase 1 which do not embody the new criteria will not be considered in Phase 2.
DA Region 7 Technical Director Engr. Cirilo Namoc emphasized the need for teamwork to help the farmers increase their local food production as well as achieve food sufficiency.
In each municipality, two associations composed of 25 members belonging to the barangays with the highest poverty incidence rate will be selected during the shortlisting of beneficiaries. However, the complete list of areas is still being finalized since the Community Needs Assessment (CNA) is still ongoing.
Moreover, field implementers in Negros Oriental scheduled a courtesy visit with the Governor and San Jose Mayor to be followed by a CNA at Barangays Basak and Janay-Janay on September 7-8, 2022.
In Siquijor, field implementers also arranged a courtesy visit with the Governor, mayors, and municipal agriculturists of the identified areas in the province on September 8, 2022.
Partnership with the Local Government Units (LGUs) is vital in the pre-implementation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability of the project. During the pre-implementation stage, LGUs link the SAAD program to the target community. This helps the program achieve its goals by assessing the staff during the CNA, in which consolidated information will be the basis for the identification of beneficiaries.
In implementing the projects initiated by the program, the LGUs are at the forefront in the delivery of services, interventions, and inputs. Some of the LGUs also helped the program with transporting the interventions to the beneficiaries.
Although SAAD has been granted an additional six-year extension program, Phase 1 beneficiaries who no longer qualify for the new categorization in Phase 2 will be endorsed over to the LGU. Aside from being beneficiaries who promised to sustain the project, they serve as the government’s partner in sustainability and development of the socio-economic conditions of the communities. ###
Writer: Jolina T. Daño, DA-SAAD Region 7 Information Officer
Source: DA-SAAD Central Visayas
