TABUK CITY, Kalinga—The province of Kalinga has been named the best implementer of the Conditional Matching Grant to Provinces in the Cordillera region.
“At this time, Kalinga is the best in so far as the implementation of the CMGP,” Department of the Interior and Local Government Cordillera Regional Director Marlo Iringan said during the yearend Program Implementation Review.
Highlights of this year’s PIR include site visit to the different road projects and learning the best practices of Kalinga in implementing road projects.
Speaking before attending local chief executives, DILG provincial and City directors, and members of Local Road Management Teams of the seven provinces and lone city of Cordillera, Iringan praised the pace of Kalinga’s implementation.
“Kalinga received P88 million [in additional funding] owing to its completion rate,” he noted.
For 2015 and 2016, the province received over P246 million to build more than 20 kilometers of provincial roads under the CMGP and its predecessor KALSADA program.
The Bulanao-Laya-Balong Provincial Road was turned over to beneficiaries April this year while the Cabaruan-Sucbot Provincial Road and the Cabaritan-Dugpa Provincial Road are under way.
In contrast to other provinces, Kalinga has been consistently implementing projects without delays. The improvement of Cabaruan-Sucbot Provincial Road for instance is top among all road projects in the region at 44.9 percent positive slippage, a measure that indicates how ahead it is in its schedule.
Another P198 million has been earmarked for the concreting of the Dalnacan-Mangali via Taloctoc road which is expected to be implemented by first quarter of 2018.
LRMT Chairperson Flordeliza Moldero said that Kalinga has bested the other provinces in terms of timeliness in the submission of documentary requirements.
She said that Kalinga’s LMRT composed of sub-committees that each have a specialized function has ensured smooth implementation through the regular conduct of meetings.
Moldero said they have gone above and beyond guidelines set by CMGP and applied learning gleaned from implementing road projects under other programs like the Philippine Rural Development Project and the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Project.
She attributed the province’s CMGP success to the administration of Governor Jocel Baac.
“One of our strength is that we have a very supportive governor and Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Whenever we have a problem that we cannot address at our levels we bring it to them and they are always prompt to address it,” she said.
Moldero also praised the dedication and commitment of the members of the LMRT. “We have rendered overtime on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Sacrifice talaga iyon,” she said.
Aside from CMGP, Kalinga has also been recognized for its implementation of Infrastructure Development (I-BUILD) sub-projects of the PRDP.
Out of 22 provinces in regions 1,2,3 and CAR, Kalinga was cited as third best in I-BUILD sub-project implementation “in terms of physical progress, documentation, operations, maintenance, and SES compliance.”
Kalinga’s notable accomplishment among its sub-projects is the P130 million-worth improvement of the 13-kilometer Banneng-Gomboway Farm to Market Road in Tanudan.
During Monday’s flag-raising, Provincial Agriculturist Domingo Bakilan said the project is currently 95 percent completed and is anticipated to be turned over to beneficiaries by February 2018. This puts the project six months ahead of its original target date of completion.
Apart from the Banneng-Gomboway FMR, two other PRDP infrastructure projects are underway: the improvement of the 15-kilometer Bulanao-Amlao FMR worth P196 million and the improvement of the 13-kilometer Catabbogan-Wagud FMR worth P197 million.
“The implementation of the Bulanao-Amlao FMR is already 73 percent completed. Catabbogan-Wagud FMR is 25 percent completed, and on 2018 the improvement of the Bado
Dangwa-Guilayon FMR is scheduled to be issued a NOL 1,” Bakilan said. NOL 1 refers to No Objection Letter 1, the issuance of which will green light the implementation of the said project worth P222 million.
Bakilan credited the success of Kalinga’s PRDP implementation to the members of the Provincial Project Management and Implemetation Units (PPMIU) and the Technical Working Group (TWG).
“This is the result of the efforts of the PPMIU and the TWG during the preparation and implementation,” he said.
“To the members of the PPMIU thank you so much for your support and we are now beginning to reap the fruits of our hardship and sacrifices,” he added.
