CENTRAL VISAYAS—The National Program Management Office (NPMO) of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program conducted its Multi-Year Planning (MYP) and Workshop with program implementers of Region VII in Tagbilaran, Dumaguete, and Siquijor on 28-31 August 2018.

The event was attended by SAAD regional and provincial staff of Region VII, led by Regional Field Office (RFO) VII Focal Person, Engr. Eugene Cahiles, Jr., together with Negros Oriental Provincial Coordinator (PC) Mr. Jaypee Soldivillo, and Siquijor Interim PC Ms. Agnes Guanella Café. Provincial/Municipal Agriculturists and Agricultural Technicians from each Local Government Unit (LGU) of the covered provinces were also invited to participate in the consultation meeting.

The MYP aimed at crafting project proposals of Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and Bohol, not only for the provision of funds for FY 2020-2022 but also in preparation for the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) one-year cash-based budgeting, which will start in 2019.

For 2017 SAAD province, Negros Oriental, there are twenty-four (24) municipalities being covered by the Program; each municipality aims to cover ten (10) barangays, and thirty (30) farmers in these barangays. An enterprise shall also be organized per group and not per individual.

Meanwhile, there are 770 farmers listed in 2018 SAAD province Siquijor’s MYP. Given the present number of Area Coordinators servicing the province (which is 3), there is a high chance that the beneficiary count would remain the same than expand.

All six (6) municipalities (3 barangays each) of Siquijor are catered by SAAD. Present during the consultation are representatives from Enrique Villanueva, Larena, Maria, San Juan, and Siquijor.

The newest addition to Region VII province in 2019 is Bohol. In their MYP, there will be five of their (5) municipalities that the SAAD Program will cover, six (6) barangays from these municipalities shall be the priority of the province, covering thirty (30) farmers each barangay.

All in all, based on the ‘homework’ presented by Bohol, a total of 900 farmers in the province shall benefit from the program and will be established as associations.

Composing NPMO Team Visayas are its Planning Officer, Ms. Katherine Angeles; Monitoring Officer, Ms. Ashley Mae Apigo; and PR & Communications Officer, Ms. Ela Arciaga. Leading the MYP discussion is the Head of the SAAD NPMO Planning and Budget Team, Mr. Darwin A. Pamatmat, along with Planning and Budget Officer, Ms. Karla Borromeo.

After reviewing and evaluating each MYPs drafted by the concerned provinces, SAAD RPMSO VII is set to submit their proposals to the Planning and Budget Team, for review along with Team Visayas of the Planning and Monitoring Group (PMG) of SAAD NPMO.

The MYPs for FY 2020-2022 aim to set a direction for the Program towards the attainment of its overall objective, aside from becoming the basis for the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in the annual approval of DA-SAAD Program Plan and Budget proposal.

Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and Bohol are three (3) SAAD-covered provinces in Region VII for 2017, 2018, and 2019, respectively, chosen based on the 2015 Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) poverty statistics report.

To date, the Planning and Budget Team of SAAD NPMO has already conducted similar activities in nine (9) SAAD covered regions. ###

Writer: Ela Arciaga, SAAD NPMO PR & Communications Officer