OZAMIZ CITY: Misamis Occidental does better in terms of community-initiated development activities under the Focal Community Assistance Scheme (FOCAS) of the Philippine-Australia Community Assistance Program (pacap), Emmanuel Torrente, area manager for Mindanao disclosed.
Torrente was here recently to attend the meeting of the PACAP’s Provincial Stakeholders Committee (PSC) and check on the projects being implemented in the province.
Aside from this province, a number of FOCAS initiatives have been identified by the respective PSCs and undertaken in other priority provinces by PACAP such as Bohol, Northern Samar, Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte.
All these started in 2005 and will end in 2010.
In its Web site, PACAP said that “each target province includes as many FOCAS initiatives as the budget allows and the PSC approves.”
By 2010, PACAP’s grant assistance for the development projects of four FOCAS areas in the province, namely, the Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park Development Program, Save Labo River Program, Iligan Bay Coastal Resource Management Program, and the Coconut Industry Rehabilitation and Development Program, should have been finished.
According to a report from Patrol sa Kalambuan, the Capitol’s nightly developmental news broadcast, each priority province will receive an allocation of P76-P78-million for five years after project proposals and requirements are met by the proponents and after being approved by the PACAP’s national advisory committee.
The P78-million will be allocated equally for the four FOCAS areas at P19.5-million each for four years.
Several projects have been identified and implemented separately in the cities of Tangub, Ozamiz and Oroquieta and 11 of 14 towns namely, Bonifacio, Clarin, Tudela, Sinacaban, Jimenez, Panaon, Lopez Jaena, Aloran, Plaridel, Concepcion and Don Victoriano.
Still in the middle of their five-year accomplishment period, Torrente said the province has already capped the P76-million funding because of its speed in passing proposals for its various projects.
“Misamis Occidental is a doing well. In fact, your province is the first to fully allocate a budget among the five provinces. I think Misamis Occidental is, well, if not the best province among the five, definitely is one of the top two, Torrente commented.
The area manager then said that there will be a “big possibility” that PACAP’s programs in the province will be extended because of its one-of-a-kind performance.
“We really don’t know after 2010, but you know, after we evalaute the different provinces, we are hoping Misamis Occidental will be included if ever there will be an extension,” he said. MICHAEL MEDINA