Members of the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera (DA-CAR) Regional Management Committee (RMC) convened today, April 30, for a collaborative meeting relative to the implementation of agri-fisheries services in the region.
DA-CAR Regional Executive Director Atty. Jennilyn M. Dawayan, Committee Chairperson, gave updates and new directives of the DA Secretary from their recent National Operations Management Meeting in Quezon City on April 28, 2025.
Among the emphases were the implementation of the P20 rice per kilo which will accordingly be launched in Visayas this week; DA’s Agri-Puhunan at Pantawid (APP) Program which covers CAR as among the pilot areas; the establishment of cold storage facilities – one of the flagship projects of the DA Secretary; the implementation of 15 tramline projects in CAR in FY2026; daily price indexing of common commodities, and the compliance to the new Procurement Law.
Dir. Dawayan expressed her joy, particularly for the approval of tramline projects which has been lobbied to the DA Management for about two years already. These kinds of projects are accordingly significant to improving the transport of agricultural products considering the mountainous terrain of the region. For FY2026, the DA has prioritized and will implement 15 tramline projects in CAR. The proposed sites for the tramlines including the processing facilities were personally inspected by DA Assistant Secretary for Logistics Daniel Atayde last week.
“We are looking for other projects unique in the Cordillera that would supplement our farm-to-table initiatives,” Dir. Dawayan underscored noting that the region has limited allocations for farm-to-market roads.
The attached bureaus and agencies of DA in CAR also provided updates including issues and concerns on their cross-cutting programs and projects, seeking further support and assistance among the concerned offices.
The Committee has agreed to determine a feasible community to serve as an inter-agency convergence area for agricultural development. Said area is aimed to mirror the DA agencies and bureaus’ various agriculture and fisheries services.
In closing, DA-CAR Planning Monitoring Evaluation Division Chief Dr. Susan Balanza presented the Seven Criteria for the Prioritization of Programs, Projects and Activities (PPAs) across the DA Family as part of the programmatic approach of budgeting. According to her, when proposing for PPAs, the agencies should consider the seven criteria for more chances of approval as aligned to the thrusts of the DA, namely: Maximum impact on poverty reduction, Increased incomes of farmers and fisherfolk, Increased production for balanced nutrition, Reducing import dependency, Cost efficiency, Established feasibility, and Technical and absorptive capacity of operating units. By JBagrifino
