N. Samar officials briefed on PAMANA projects

From the Philippine News Agency (Jul 11): N. Samar officials briefed on PAMANA projects
 

CATARMAN, Northern Samar -- Provincial officials of Northern Samar were briefed on the Mainstreaming Peace and Development in Local Governance Program (MPDLG) component of “Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan” or PAMANA projects in the province on Tuesday.

Officials headed by the new Governor Jun L. Ong of Northern Samar has also been oriented by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP) about the previous and ongoing implementation of the OPAPP-funded projects in the province.

Imelda Bonifacio, Samar Area Manager of OPAPP, said the national government has earmarked a huge amount to help address the root causes of insurgency in Samar provinces particularly those conflict-affected areas.

Bonifacio added that Samar Island, to include Ong’s province, which is considered by the government as among the most vulnerable to the rebels, is one of the seven zones covered by the PAMANA program of OPAPP and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

In Northern Samar, there were four municipalities covered by the programs – the towns of Las Navas, San Roque, Silvino Lobos and Lope de Vega.

At the moment, Bonifacio informed that OPAPP has already downloaded around P424.5 million worth of infrastructure projects in Northern Samar under Pillar 3.

The OPAPP official in Samar reported that several million worth of road projects under the 2011 and 2012 PAMANA-OPAPP-DILG funded projects has already been completed and now being utilized by the community folks.

Ongoing road projects, according to Bonifacio, include the construction of 50-meter span bridge in Barangay Cagpanit-an and concreting of a section of the road stretch from Cagpanit-an to Silvino Lobos town.

The worth of the project is said to be around P195.5 million, she said.

Other ongoing projects are the concreting of a section of the Mondragon-Silvino Lubos road network worth P15 million, road network construction of Mondragon-Silvino roads worth P100 million and the P84-M rehabilitation/improvement of Silvino Lubos – Lope de Vega roads.

Started in Northern Samar and Samar in 2011, PAMANA is the national government’s peace and development program framework that seeks to build peaceful and resilient communities, by improving their lives by ensuring that the people benefit from better delivery of basic services.

Bonifacio explained further that a project agreed upon by the provinces’ respective development councils as well as peace and order councils, with participation of civil society groups would be submitted to DILG in the form of Project Proposals for evaluation.

“LGUs with Good Housekeeping Seals are given priority,” Bonifacio added.

When asked on how they will check if funds are spent for their intended purpose, the OPAPP official said: “A project monitoring team set up by the LGU and DILG regularly checks the projects.”

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=543222