National Greening Program (NGP) Assessment and Strategic Planning Workshop
– The National Greening Program (NGP) Assessment and Strategic Planning Workshop held at the Marco Polo Hotel, Davao from October 16-19, 2017, gathered a total of 150 participants from all over the country to look into the six-year implementation of the Program in compliance to Executive Order No. 26, series of 2011. Participants were a mix of Central and Regional officials and planning officers, NGP coordinators, and focal persons who evaluated the NGP not only in terms of the quality of performance but also in terms of budget and expenditures and how beneficiaries’ lives have been upgraded through livelihood assistance, among others.
Assistant Secretary Corazon Davis exhorted participants to consider as challenges those issues and concerns that call for ensuring sustainability of the program (i.e. providing necessary funds for maintenance of plantations by communities, clear-cut policy on sharing agreement, refinements in fraud-free procedures, and laying the foundation for the engagement of civil society in monitoring the program). Participants were likewise reminded to look hard into compliance to other deliverables.
Assistant Secretary for Field Operations-Visayas, Marcial C. Amaro, Jr. on the other hand emphasized truthfulness and integrity in the Program. “We should harmonize what we say with what is on the ground. We work with what is under the law,” he said. He also underscored the importance of seed production areas inasmuch as these are also sources of indigenous seeds.
The NGP financial performance and activities needing full implementation was presented by Assistant Secretary for Financial Management and Information Systems Bresilda M. Gervacio. She presented a total allotment of 33,528,414.35 out of which 31,002,197 had been obligated, or a utilization rate of 92.46%.
With a total budget of Php 32,359,408,000 from 2011-2016 and area planted consisting of 1,662,229 hectares and 1,369,762,802 seedlings planted in 78,000 sites, regional offices presented CY 2011-2016 accomplishments by commodity and Physical and Financial Performance for CY 2017. The regional offices also worked on firming up NGP CY 2018 Targets.
Among the important outputs of the event included the identification of regional areas of excellence, identification of issues/concerns and corresponding recommendations concerning implementation as well as FY 2018 preparation status on survey, mapping and planning, on identified partners and commodity areas.
Other topics extensively discussed were the draft ENGP administrative order and third- party monitoring, as well as the developments with regard to the One Control Map incorporating NGP sites.