BAGUIO CITY – To bolster the monitoring and evaluation of government programs and projects across the region, the Department of the Interior and Local Government–Cordillera Administrative Region (DILG-CAR), in collaboration with the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev-CAR), completed three batches of training-workshops for members of local project monitoring committees (LPMCs) in this city this April.
Spearheaded by DILG-CAR as part of its continuing effort to strengthen local governance mechanisms, the initiative is one of the region’s few structured capacity development activities focused specifically on project monitoring and evaluation.
A total of 193 participants from 27 local government units (LGUs) in the Cordilleras were capacitated on the implementation of the Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System (RPMES), including LPMC chairpersons and members, provincial and municipal planning and development coordinators, civil society organization representatives, and DILG field officers.
DILG-CAR Regional Director Araceli A. San Jose explained that this program aims to provide technical assistance to LPMCs with low to medium functionality based on the previous assessments.
“It is imperative that our LGUs, especially members of non-government organizations, can ensure that development efforts in the Cordillera are responsive, results-oriented, and inclusive through impartial and transparent monitoring,” Director San Jose said.
DEPDev-CAR Senior Economic Development Specialist (SEDS) Sharon B. Africano presented the indicators of LPMC functionality, emphasizing reporting frequency and submission timelines. Supervising EDS Victor Eugene S. Cacam provided an orientation on crafting annual work and financial plans (AWFPs) and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans, while Information System Analyst Ardel John S. Biscaro gave a walkthrough of the Electronic Regional Project Monitoring and Evaluation System (eRPMES) platform.
San Jose highlighted the importance of local project monitoring especially in upholding sound infrastructure governance. “This training seeks to inculcate a deeper sense of accountability and transparency over the monitoring of locally-funded projects. We must ensure that we are not short-changing our constituents by giving them quality services and projects,” she said.
Executive Order No. 376 series of 1989, as amended by Executive Order No. 93 series of 1993, called for the establishment of the RPMES as a mechanism for monitoring and evaluating projects at all levels of government through the LPMCs.
It can also be recalled that the DILG issued Memorandum Order No. 2019-188 directing LGUs to organize or reconstitute their respective Sub-Regional Project Monitoring Committees.
These frameworks empower LGUs to take a proactive role in tracking both national and locally-funded projects while emphasizing the importance of systematic, participatory monitoring at the grassroots level. By FFP/DILG-CAR
