DA-PRDP initiative empowers residents in project monitoring

By Nimfa L. Estrellado Community leaders from Catanauan, Quezon, inspect the ongoing construction of a farm-to-market road as part of a rece...

By Nimfa L. Estrellado

Community leaders from Catanauan, Quezon, inspect the ongoing construction of a farm-to-market road as part of a recent training program led by the Department of Agriculture, empowering residents to monitor the project's progress and ensure its long-term viability. (PRDP Calabarzon)

CATANAUAN, Quezon — Community leaders in seven barangays across Catanauan, Quezon, have completed a training program to monitor the construction of a 12.46-kilometer farm-to-market road. The initiative, led by the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP), aims to ensure project longevity and accountability by equipping residents to oversee the infrastructure.

The project, which includes two new bridges, will connect the barangays of Doongan Ilaya, Doongan Ibaba, Milagrosa, San Antonio Magcopa, San Roque, San Pablo Suha, and Sta. Maria Dao. The road is expected to benefit an estimated 2,810 farmers and fisherfolk and 685 households, improving the transport of agricultural products such as coconuts, bananas, and rice. The project was approved in August 2024 under the DA-PRDP’s Scale-Up program.



Officials from the DA-PRDP Project Support Office South Luzon and the Regional Project Coordination Office CALABARZON conducted the training. The curriculum focused on providing participants with the practical tools for effective project oversight, including the Citizens Monitoring framework, engineering standards, and the use of applied geomapping technology. Participants also received instruction on social and environmental safeguards and the specific roles of the Barangay Implementing Team in project oversight.

Following the classroom sessions, community leaders conducted a hands-on inspection of the construction site. Using the DA-PRDP Citizens Monitoring Notebook, they evaluated the contractor's compliance with standards, including material quality and adherence to timelines. They also used the PRDP GeoCamera to geotag their observations, providing real-time, location-based photo documentation for transparency.

Rolando Conde, a barangay kagawad from San Pablo Suha, commented on the significance of the training.“This activity is very important for the proper implementation of our project. With the help of the lessons we learned, we now know what is right and wrong or whether the project is in line with the DA-PRDP's standards,” Conde said. “We can also now better address and explain the comments of our fellow residents about the project.”

Looking ahead, the community leaders plan to hold a joint session to create local ordinances on weight and speed limits for the new road. These measures are intended to prevent damage and accidents from potential overloaded commercial vehicles, ensuring the road’s long-term viability and protecting the safety of residents.

The Citizens Monitoring Team (CMT) approach is being mainstreamed to the DA Regional Field Office IV-A CALABARZON with the goal of replicating this community-based monitoring model across the region. This initiative will support the DA’s objective of strengthening local governance and building a culture of accountability for more resilient and sustainable infrastructure throughout CALABARZON.