TACLOBAN CITY, July 9 (PNA) — The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Region 8 on Wednesday inked a contract with two professional service providers for the implementation of the P19.6-million Agrarian Reform Community Connectivity and Economic Support Services (ARCCESS) project in selected Agrarian Reform Beneficiary Organizations (ARBOs) in Eastern Visayas.
The ARCCESS project according to DAR assistant regional director for program beneficiary development (PBD) Ismael P. Aya-ay, is a “support services delivery mechanism in order to contribute to the reduction of poverty. “
“This aims to increase the income, productivity of farmers and look after their welfare. Let us forget the subsistence level of production, we will go on enterprise,” he said.
He added that the project was tailored-fit to meet the needs of the ARBOs.
ARCCESS technical working group chair, Engr. Francisco M. Diloy explained that the project has two components namely the delivery of professional services as well as the provision of common service facility.
Today’s contract signing was for the business development service (BDS) for the first and second batch of the project which falls under the provision of professional service and the professional service provider for the progress and process monitoring (PPM) of the implementation in the second batch.
The BDS contract for Leyte Island worth P13.8 million was awarded to the Metro Dumaguete College, Inc. (MDCI) for Leyte Island, Dumaguete City while the PPM-2 worth P5.8 million covering Leyte and Samar was won by the Infoshare Management Systems from Los Baños, Laguna.
The contract is good for one year.
The BDS will focus on market management, financial management, general enterprise management and operation and management and governance of organization.
“BDS will provide the professional services so that your enterprise will now be a large-scale. Our mindset is to go outside of the small box,” Diloy said.
The PPM, on the other hand, will look into the entirety of the operations.
ARCCESS project has 32 sub-projects composed of 12 for the first batch and 20 for the second batch.
Biliran ARBOs will have three sub-projects for the two batches; Leyte has 11; Southern Leyte and Samar with four each; and Northern Samar and Eastern Samar avail of five sub-projects each.
DAR Enciso said that the project stands to benefit some 20,000 Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) grouped into 119 ARBOs.
They were chosen based on the project proposal that they have submitted to the department.
She added that those who are not included in the two batches still have a chance in the next batches of the project.
Signatories to the contract were MDCI president Dr. Delma P. Manila, Infoshare chief executive officer Imelda C. Pangga and Enciso with Aya-ay and agrarian reform program officers of provinces covered by the project.
Meanwhile, the MDCI has additional services committed to extend medical services and information technology training to their ARBOs while the Infoshare will provide a webpage for their progress report. (PNA)
