The Regional Coordinator (RC) and Community Mobilizers (CMs) together with RD Florida Dijan, CDD Chief Martin Porres Moral, and BUB Regional Focal Person Jayson Jumaquio held a meeting last March 9, 2015 at the DILG R3 Conference Room. The meeting aims to direct the energy of the RC and CMs to focus in monitoring project implementation by submitting timely report and empower CSOs to actively participate in the BUB process.
RD Dijan stressed the importance of holding a monthly meeting in order to address some issues on project implementation. She also encouraged the CMs to speak up as to the continuity and feasibility of projects. CDD Chief Moral discussed the tasks of CMs such as assisting in the implementation process through monitoring. He pointed out that CMs must know how to ensure that specifications are being followed. And in order to fast track project implementation, CMs’ office reporting should be weekly as much as possible.
Also present in the meeting were BUB PMO-CSO Empowerment Head Edwin Chavez and PMO Mart Bangui who have been clarifying the issue of Pork Barrel being linked to BUB. PMO Head Chavez said that BUB is a fiscal reform and in fact an antithesis of Pork Barrel. It is an empowerment program and a governance reform with good financial housekeeping, accountability and transparency. BUB is the first ever program in the national level with the component of budgeting.
Due to the low rate of implementation, weak CSO engagement, and communication issues, two (2) overall objectives were established: Project Implementation and CSO Empowerment. The CSO are encouraged to report actual status of projects in their community. The RC and CMs, on the other hand, are advised to conduct site visit in order to monitor the actual physical accomplishment of each project.
Project implementation issues in different provinces were also addressed such as project replacement, releasing of project fund and project location transfer. Constant coordination between the RC, CMs, CSO, MLGOOs, and MPDOs is perceived to help in verifying project status reports as to the possible material discrepancy between the data on the program of works and actual field visit of a project
