In his recent visit to Surigao del Norte, Alcala said the said amount will serve as an initial assistance to farmers who were severely affected by the recent calamity.
Aside from the financial assistance, some agricultural equipment were also given to the provincial government which include seven units drip irrigation, two units greenhouse, three units pump and engine sets, and two units of computer sets.
Meantime, Alcala urged the local mayors to take advantage of the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP), a program jointly funded by the World Bank (WB), the national government and local governments – now on its second phase. A program, according to Sec. Alcala, was not properly utilized in the previous administration.
In Surigao del Norte, only 10 out of 20 municipalities were able to benefit the said program.
“I urged the other mayors to prepare for the necessary requirements for you to be included in the MRDP phase 3,” said Alcala.
Alcala said the good news for this new MRDP under his reign is that the decrease in counterpart funding requirement, from 50 percent to 10 percent that would allow local governments to put up more agricultural infrastructure projects.
Under the new scheme, the WB will fund 50 percent of the total project cost, while 40 percent will be shouldered by the department and only 10 percent will be the local government unit’s counterpart.
The MRDP is Agriculture department’s long-term poverty alleviation program covering all 26 provinces and 225 municipalities in Mindanao. (PIA-Surigao del Norte)
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