The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) intensified its efforts in promoting transparency on government procurement processes by organizing a comprehensive training on Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act and its 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations on August 9 to13, 2021.
This five-day activity was also in line with the additional terms of reference assigned by Agriculture Secretary William Dar to the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC) Chairpersons as Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Observers and members of the Technical Working Group during their online meet and greet on August 3, 2021.
To equip the AFCs and other PCAF staff with relevant knowledge in effectively monitoring and implementing the procurement process, participants were briefed on the following aspects:
- Key features of RA 9184 and the procurement organization;
- Procurement planning and budget linkage, including early procurement activities;
- Efficient procurement measures during a state of calamity or quarantine implementation;
- Simplified posting and electronic submission of procurement reports; and
- Preparation of costs estimates, technical specifications, scope of work, and terms of reference.
AFCs, being branded as the Department of Agriculture (DA) Transparency Czars, were also expected to participate in the procurement process as well as spearhead the conduct of participatory monitoring and tracking of all DA regional programs, projects, and activities.
With these directives, Secretary Dar urged the AFCs to rise above in helping fellow farmers and fisherfolk uplift their lives and creating relevant contributions to the agri-fishery sector.
In part, PCAF would serve its mission of upholding multi-stakeholder engagement, transparency and accountability in policy and program development processes for the agriculture and fisheries sector to support the OneDA Framework for a Masaganang Ani at Kita. |JCL
