To my PCAF, NSCS and AFCS colleagues and all participants, a pleasant day to all of you! First of all, I would like to acknowledge the presence of our partners from the Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council and the National Sectoral Committees. It is my privilege to meet and join you today as we continue our journey in pursuit of our development advocacies helping the Department of Agriculture improve its services to our farmers and fishers. Today, we are again gathered here for this undertaking as we review the performance of our agency – PCAF. As partners, I would say it is a must to present the 1st three quarter performance of PCAF and solicit your comments on how we can improve further our services. This is also the opportune time to discuss with you our plans, activities, and our accomplishments including the evaluative and policy studies that we commissioned. I encourage everyone to please give us your comments and feedbacks in areas where we can jointly improve our interventions.
You are all aware that the AFCs and the NSCs are consultative bodies and the issues emanating from your consultations are very important because these issues, as we pursue our advocacies, are supposed to be translated into programs, projects, and action plans, as we submit our policy recommendations to the office of the Secretary and to the NAF Council. The voices of our small farmers and fisherfolks must be heard by the government, and the presence of the AFCs and NSCs may these possible.
It is our common desire and vision to make our farmers and fisherfolks improve their lives, and for me, the AFCS and NSCS are important mechanisms where the government can provide the right policies, programs, and projects. Poverty incidence is still high in the countryside and the top two sectors affected are the farming and fishing sectors. When we talk about climate change, the same sectors are identified as the vulnerable sectors or the first to be affected in case of typhoons, landslides and storm surges.
My dear friends and partners, this performance review is critical in the sense that we have to analyze what we have done in the first three quarters, what we learned, how we are going to correct the grey areas, how we can improve further towards the next couple of years, and where we are now.
As we go along this review, I am expecting comments from the AFCs and NSCs. We at PCAF, we are not here just to present our performance and justify them but we are here to listen from you. Your recommendations and ideas are very important to us.
I expect that AFCs and NSCs are to be more responsive because of the dynamics in the agriculture and fishery sectors. I expect that you are always at the forefront of the consultations. I want AFCs and NSCs to be the main consultative bodies of the Department of Agriculture as envisioned in the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act or AFMA.
I am still new at PCAF but this is not an excuse on my part. Like you, as development workers, we cannot turn our backs if we know we can lend and share our expertise and knowledge to help our farmers and fisherfolks. I am also a learner. My I need to know you more so we can talk things about our partnerships in consultations and monitoring of projects.
At this point, allow me to enumerate my working vision with you.
First, we will continue and intensify our technical assistance and financial assistance to the AFCs and NSCs because I believe it is our duty to capacitate our AFCs and NSCs for them to perform their task in policy advocacy and monitoring.
Second, we will be transparent in all of PCAF undertakings like this, specifically in our assistance to your resolutions that need immediate and concrete actions and in our plans, budget, and activities.
Third, we will maintain strong ties with the LGUs to serve as our co-partners in our undertakings and in sustaining our AFCs/NSCs operations.
Fourth, we will maintain strong linkages with them so that we can enhance our harmonious working relationships and a responsive PCAF as well to its stakeholders.
Fifth, we will also intensify our linkages with the Department of Agriculture and its bureaus and attached agencies by involving them more in our consultations.
Sixth, we will sustain an incentive based award system for AFC/NSC officers and members through our annual awards for outstanding AFC/NSC officers and AFC coordinators in the Gawad Saka Awards for Outstanding RAFC, PAFC and MAFC.
Seventh, we will continue and intensify with the involvement of all AFCs and NSCs in the monitoring of DA and its attached agency’s projects to provide the “check and balance” in the status of these projects.
These are my initial framework in my first month of my leadership at PCAF. This will only happen if you, from the AFCs and NSCs, will continue to work with us as one collective unit in building a strong foundation for the agriculture and fishery sector for a cause.
At this point, I would like to say thank you to all of my co-workers from PCAF who made all the preparations for this activity.
Again, maayong buntag sa tanan! May God bless us all.
Date: October 17 – 19, 2016
Venue: Lewis Grand Hotel, Clark, Pampanga
