Provincial Government Gears Up for Roads Project

The Provincial Roads Management Facility (PRMF) enters its second year of implementation in the Provincial Government of Bohol. To gear up and mobilize the province’s road sector, Governor Edgar M. Chatto called for a 2-day PRMF Provincial Implementation Planning and Graduation Strategy Workshop last September 14 and 15 of which about 50 participants involved in the road sector headed by the Governor and participated in by department heads and key office personnel brainstormed for Bohol’s road network.
PRMF, which is a joint governance and institutional reform program of both the Philippine and Australian governments, aims “to increase economic growth and improve access to public infrastructure and services in southern Philippines.” It also provides grant assistance directly to, or in support of, selected Provincial Governments to improve the sustainable GOP provision, management and maintenance of a core network of provincial roads in targeted provinces in Mindanao and the Visayas. This five-year project which started in 2009 and ends in 2014 is under implementation by the Provincial Government of Bohol in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and supported by the Australian Government Aid Program.
The 2-day learning and interactive workshop focused on a review of PRMF implementation in the first year to draw insights and lessons learned. It also allowed the workshop participants to look ahead at detailed action steps to ensure proper implementation of the forward plans for the second year. These plans focus on road rehabilitation, road maintenance, capacity development for the road sector, public financial management to include internal control/internal audit, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and information/communication technology and geographic information systems (ICT/GIS). A major output of the two-day workshop was a collective and shared vision of the “end-state” the provincial government desires to accomplish to ensure sustainable roads management, efficient budget and public expenditure management, functional internal control and internal audit systems, transparent and accountable procurement process, dynamic and responsive human resource development and management programs and the corresponding graduation strategies to achieve these desirable outcomes.
Chatto emphasized the importance of institutionalizing the capabilities and capacities that are being learned from the PRMF. He believes that the program is “beyond work maintenance but more so in the totality of local governance and institutional reforms.”
“I do not want to be a governor who manages a forest without seeing the trees,” Chatto pointed out and explained further the importance of being aware of the big picture of the projects without neglecting the details and vice versa.
Governor Chatto expressed delight over the dedication and commitment of the participants to prepare for PRMF Year 2 implementation. During the two-day workshop, “I have gained a deeper understanding on how to maximize the impact of the program to the governance strides of the provincial government of Bohol, aside from having good roads,” the governor said. He is confident that there is no doubt that the provincial government can achieve its plans and targets with inspired and committed teams from the road sector.
The governor was also amazed by the energy and dynamism of all those involved in the workshop which he could tell, would undoubtedly cascade down to the grassroots in that he gave his assurance that the Offices of the Governor, the Vice-Governor and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan would be supporting the PRMF in every endeavour for the good of the Boholanos.
The workshop was facilitated by the PRMF Provincial Team composed of PRMF Provincial Coordinator Linda Paredes, Provincial Facility Officer Bernie Forones, and Office Assistants Berlin Baldones and Joema May Mangao. (EDCom/lindaparedes)