MALAYBALAY CITY, Bukidnon, May 4--The Department of Agriculture - Regional Field Office 10 (DA-RFO 10) conducted the second leg of the consultation meeting with the province's city and municipal agriculture offices in drafting the science-based Regional Agricultural and Fisheries Infrastructure and Mechanization Plan for 2022-2027.
Thru its Regional Agricultural Engineering Division (RAED), the two-day activity capacitated the delegates on weighing in vital agri-fishery projects as Mandanas-Garcia ruling takes effect starting 2022.
The Mandanas ruling provides the basis for which local government units (LGUs) are being provided with funds sourced from all ‘national taxes’ and not just limited to ‘national internal revenue taxes, thereby, paving for increased resources and greater demand for capacity and supervision at the LGU level.
The activity is also in line with the goals of Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) of 1997, and the Agriculture and Fisheries Mechanization (AFMech) law.
According to RAED assistant chief Engr. Deliza T. Camaro, the AFMA and AFMech Law aim to modernize and mechanize the country's agri-fishery sector to ensure food security and poverty alleviation.
"With the institutionalization of the Supreme Court ruling of the Mandanas-Garcia petition, every local government—from the provincial down to the city/municipal level—should capacitate their technical staff and fill up engineer positions to facilitate technical matters on the provision, establishment, research, and development of agri-fishery infrastructures, machinery and equipment units, among others," Engr. Camaro explained.
DA-RFO 10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota S. Madriaga, likewise, urged the participants to take part in capacity enhancement thru training aside from its eagerness to learn modern ideas and techniques that can boost the province's agri-fishery sector which could augment the livelihood and income of farmers and fisherfolks.
With the facilitation of Engr. Romil C. Española, head of the Programs and Project Management Section (PPMS) of RAED, each town and city was able to account and assess their existing projects, which could help further in considering priority projects for 2022-2027 period.
Española said the PPMS will also visit the projects twice a year to gauge its significance to the farmer-beneficiaries for further improvement.
The provinces of Lanao del Norte and Misamis Occidental are the next batches in the queue. (EMBentulan/PIA Bukidnon)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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