Valeriano Borja (left) and Dr. Ulysses Montojo (right) of NFRDI presenting the Fisheries Refugia and Development of Salt Industry Project (DSIP) during the DA-SPCMAD year-end assessment of foreign-assisted projects (FAPs) and locally-funded projects (LFPs) in 2022.

Two projects on fisheries refugia and research and development (R&D) component of the salt project were presented by the Department of Agriculture-National Fisheries Research and Development Institute during the DA’s CY 2022 Year-End Assessment for Special Projects, which took place from March 27-31, 2023 in Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

The activity was organized by the DA-Special Projects Coordination and Management Assistance Division (SPCMAD) and hosted by DA Region 7. Its main objective was to review and assess the physical and financial accomplishments of foreign-assisted projects (FAPs) and locally-funded projects (LFPs) in 2022. The event also aimed to discuss the specific issues, concerns, and challenges that hindered project implementation progress efficiently and effectively. Furthermore, it sought to recommend strategies and points of action that may help progress the implementation, as well as share good practices that could be replicated in other projects.

Valeriano Borja, national scientific and technical focal point for fisheries refugia and chief of Distant Waters Fisheries Section of NFRDI’s Capture Fisheries Research and Development Division, presented the “Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand” project on March 28. He discussed the project’s work and financial plan, as well as the cumulative annual and physical accomplishments from 2017 to 2022.

On March 29, Dr. Ulysses Montojo, the project leader and chief of NFRDI’s Fisheries Postharvest Research and Development Division (FPHRDD), presented the accomplishments of the research and development component of the Development of Salt Industry Project (DSIP).

The SPCMAD is a division under the DA-Field Operations Service (FOS) that is responsible for institutionalizing a system that ensures a smooth transition of DA special projects, both foreign-assisted and locally funded, from project approval to implementation, and from project completion to project evaluation.

As of December 31, 2022, the total number of DA special projects was 55, with a combined budget of Php 217.978 billion. Out of this amount, 66.84 percent or Php 145.700 billion were locally-funded projects, while 33.16 percent or Php 72.278 billion were foreign-assisted projects. ### (Rita dela Cruz)