The Project Development and Management Unit (PDMU) of DILG VI had a prolific week last 2023 August 14 to 18 as they spearheaded the conduct of a series of activities under the banner “LGSF Program Standards and Innovations”.
One of these initiatives was the production of its very own Unit magazine named “Uplift: From Dreams to Stories of Progress in Region 6” – a biannual publication dedicated to highlighting the success stories of completed projects as well as the multiple and diverse Unit activities conducted to better provide technical assistance to the Local Government Units of Western Visayas.
The magazine launch, serving as the grand finale of the five-day activity, was held last August 18th and was witnessed by the Provincial and City Directors, Program Managers, Cluster Heads, and PDMS Chiefs along with the invited special guests from the Municipality of Leon and the Provincial Government of Iloilo.
Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo L. Iringan, CESO III, through a message sent to Regional Director Juan Jovian E. Ingeniero, CESO IV, extended his appreciation of the Unit’s efforts. “Considering the significant contributions the SBDP has made to communities in dire need of assistance, I am pleased that more success stories are being told. I hope that the UPLIFT Publication will aid in increasing public awareness and appreciation of our programs,” the USLG’s message read.
Four SBDP 2021 projects implemented by the Province of Iloilo at Brgy. Ayubo, Leon were given the spotlight as the pilot feature story with Mr. Robert Calzado, President of the Ayubo Farmers Association, appearing in the cover photo. Also present were Ayubo Punong Barangay Magno Capindo, Kagawad Corazon Camariosa, and Municipal Administrator Atty. Glenn Cababa-an, who represented Municipality Mayor Ma. Lina Holipas. All four beneficiaries participated in the project documentation last June 2023 of the multiple barangay projects, namely: the more than one-kilometer concreting with side canal, drainage, and slope protection of their farm to market road, 65 units of solar powered street lights, water tank with communal faucets, and roof-mounted solar panels with a generator set at the barangay gymnasium.
Iloilo Provincial Director Engr. Carmelo F. Orbista, CESO V, on behalf of Assistant Regional Director Maria Calpiza J. Sardua, CESO IV, shared his favorite excerpt from the magazine during a read through after the cover unveiling. Then, PEO II Marie Angelie S. Villalon, Uplift Content Editor and Head Writer, presented the plans for the magazine’s next issue as well as the mechanics for the upcoming DILG Hymn Composition Contest.
Prior to the launch of Uplift, the week kicked off with the “Re-orientation of Quality Assurance and Assessment Report (QAAR) Tool”, which was aimed at orienting the participants, mostly composed of engineers, with the QAAR Tool – an automated rating system used to generate the qualitative and quantitative ratings of a project’s compliance with minimum standards during the different stages of its implementation.
Engr III Dennis Valencia, Engr III Lauren Jetherson Rilloraza, and Engr V Michael Momar Sumagaysay, resource persons from the DILG Central Office, provided in-depth discussions on the QAAR before the group was divided into three the next day for a practical application of their workshop learnings.
The three teams conducted site inspections in their assigned areas and presented their findings and recommendations to the LGU functionaries during their exit conferences for the following projects:
- Construction of box culvert drainage at Leganes, Iloilo
- Road concreting at Igbaras, Iloilo
- Municipal evacuation and operations centers at New Lucena, Iloilo
Right after the conclusion of the QAAR Tool refresher course, the third day continued in the afternoon of August 16th with the result deliberation of the recently concluded “LGSF Financial Assistance to LGUs Caravan”.
Facilitators from the PDMU and the Local Government Capability Development Division (LGCDD) convened with the PDMS Chiefs of the Region to consolidate the gathered data and action plans from the solution-seeking workshops that the participating LGUs took part of.
After which, on August 18th, LGOO V Marlon V. Ladia of the LGCDD presented the synthesized data to the Department heads and discussed the gaps and underlying issues as identified by the participating LGUs and DILG Field Offices followed by the proposed solutions and interventions.
During the open forum, the Provincial and City Directors, along with the Cluster Heads, shared their insights gleaned from the month-long LGSF Caravan. All this consolidated data will be utilized with the aim of improving policies and mechanisms to better assist the LGUs around Western Visayas in their project implementation.
Meanwhile, guaranteeing that DILG-administered projects are religiously monitored and efficiently evaluated, the PDMU personnel also convened for its monthly PDMU Conference on August 17th.
Project Evaluation Officers Phrea Ann Kryzyll Camasis and Nelson Lopez, Jr. presented updates on the statuses of projects across the whole Region covering the following programs:
- SGLGIF: Seal of Good Local Governance Incentive Fund
- FALGU: Financial Assistance to LGUs
- SBDP: Support to the Barangay Development Program
- GEF: Growth Equity Fund
- RLIP: RBME of LGU Infrastructure Projects
- RSSA: Rapid Subproject Sustainability Assessment
Regional Director Juan Jovian E. Ingeniero, CESO IV reiterated the need to intensify the monitoring of projects and provide all possible technical assistance for the LGUs to improve project implementation and escalate project completion.
The “LGSF Program Standards and Innovations” culminated with some words of gratitude from LGOO VI Anthony Ian G. Andaleza, PDMU Chief. “We want to make a documentation on what is happening on the ground because there’s a lot of things nga indi natun makita. When our engineers go back to our offices, abi natun mga pormado sila, but when they go to the field to validate and to visit the projects, ang mga lutak sang ila sapatos and mga basa sang ila bayo – those are the things nga indi natun makita sa office. The Uplift magazine is not only for our beneficiaries but also for our personnel and engineers,” Chief Andaleza remarked.
To access the digital copy of Uplift: From Dreams to Stories of Progress in Region 6, you may visit the PDMU microsite: https://bit.ly/PDMUMicrositeUPLIFT. The mechanics of the DILG Hymn Composition Contest can also be found on the site’s home page. #