BUTUAN CITY – The World Bank (WB) and Department of Agriculture (DA) strengthened their partnership to continue all projects that are already in the pipeline under the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP).

Recognizing the important role of the private sector in the accomplishment of government projects, all stakeholders and project managers, and engineers from MRDP across the southern island met recently to step up all projects in Mindanao.

The series of meetings, evaluation, and validation of all projects took place in this city and the cities of Cagayan de Oro, Davao, General Santos, and Zamboanga.

The series of meetings also aim to forge better working relationship and strengthen partnership among private contractors who will build the projects for the government.

MRDP is designed to alleviate poverty in the rural areas, and is expected to pour in rural infrastructures like farm-to-market roads (FMRs), irrigation systems, pre/post harvest facilities, solar dryers and warehouses, potable water systems, and single-lane bridges with its Rural Infrastructure (RI) component in key food production areas along with livelihood projects and environmental conservation.

The five-year second phase MRDP program has earmarked at least $84 million which is jointly funded by the WB, national government, and the 225 enrolled local government units (LGUs).

MRDP has pipelined for 2010 over P2 billion for 1,200 kilometers of FMRs, a total of 954-linear meter bridges, irrigation systems that will service 5,600 hectares of ricefields, 72 units of Level 2 potable water systems, and a number solar driers and warehouses spread at various areas in Mindanao which will soon be ready for national bidding.

Carolina F. Geron, WB lead rural development officer, said the activity is part of the transparency and accountability mechanisms embedded in the design of MRDP.

“Our series of meetings will provide a venue to hear issues, comments, and recommendations of the contractors regarding the implementation of projects and likewise from the funding agency to air its expectations thus, providing transparency mechanism to eradicate the score of corruption on government projects,” said Geron in a statement.

The WB rural development officer added that MRDP follows the harmonized bidding document which stipulates procurement policy borne out of Republic Act 9184 or the National Procurement Law, and the World Bank Procurement process.