BAGUIO CITY – “We aim to not just solve problems but improve project implementation. This is so that government money is not wasted”, said Regional Project Monitoring Committee Chair (RPMC) and NEDA-CAR Regional Director Milagros Rimando during the “RPMC Workshop on Project Implementation Issues under the Regional Project Monitoring Evaluation System” held last December 6, 2019.
A total of 33 participants from civil society organizations, local government units, and regional line joined the 1-day workshop which aims to orient participants on changed with the monitoring of government programs and projects.
NEDA-CAR presented the guidelines of the Regional Project Monitoring Evaluation System (RPMES) which is a tool to consolidate monitoring and evaluation reports at the regional and local levels. On the other hand, the representatives from regional offices of DENR, DPWH, NCIP, and NEDA provided insights on the various factors affecting project implementation.
With CAR as home to indigenous peoples, Atty. Atanacio Addog emphasized the importance of securing the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of the people in ancestral domains before implementing projects. Meanwhile, NEDA-CAR emphasized the importance of correctly accomplishing reports to ensure proper documentation and problem-solving strategies.
One participant from the Kalinga Provincial Monitoring Committee expressed his interest in applying the evaluation system to his local committee under the supervision of the Kalinga Local Government.
The RPMC, composed of government agencies and private organizations, conducts inspections, validate project accomplishments, and problem-solving sessions to facilitate project implementation. “We are not auditors. We inspect problematic projects so that we can assist in its implementation”, Director Rimando said.
The Regional Project Monitoring Committee conducts annual training for government project monitors to continuously improve the standard of project monitoring and evaluation in the region.
By NEDA-CAR
