Committed to strengthening regional engagement in agriculture and fishery policy formulation and program monitoring, the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) held its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Mindanao B Participatory Performance Review and Planning Workshop in General Santos City from November 4 to 7, 2025.
The activity brought together key stakeholders, including chairpersons and representatives from the Agricultural and Fishery Councils (AFCs), Local Government Units (LGUs), and key partners from Davao Region, SOCCSKSARGEN, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Aside from reviewing past performance and gearing up for FY 2026, the activity also featured a presentation on Republic Act 11321, or the “Sagip Saka Act.”
The participants also took part in a workshop that aimed to move beyond traditional production and fully integrate the enterprise-driven approach mandated by the Sagip Saka Act.
Mindanao B’s focused approach to governance
The Mindanao B cluster demonstrated its strong commitment to participatory governance through its review of notable accomplishments, projects, and key policy updates.
The Regional Agricultural and Fishery Council (RAFC) Chairpersons from the three regions presented their successes, emphasizing key interventions and the outcomes that contributed to their achievements, while also identifying operational gaps and recommending solutions.
For the first time, PCAF also invited Provincial Agriculturists, in addition to the Provincial AFC coordinators, as part of a strengthened partnership with the AFCs and the LGUs.
“With the dedicated insights from our Provincial Agriculturists, we can ensure the successful implementation of our activities. Our collaborations with you are crucial in ensuring that sector-wide participation and the policy recommendations that our AFCs develop are relevant, responsive, and impactful at the local level,” said PCAF Executive Director Bernadette De Los Santos.
The cluster’s progress in policy formulation was also highlighted, showing strong performance in endorsing resolutions before the set deadline.
Progress on key projects and financial management
PCAF addressed AFC-related concerns, focusing on initiatives like policy advocacy, partnership development, and optimizing fund utilization.
In addition to the operating units, PCAF’s Budget and Accounting Section Chiefs were present to address the financial concerns of the regions and the DA Regional Field Units’ respective budget and accounting representatives.
The status of fund liquidation by region for the Mindanao B Cluster from FY 2021 to FY 2025 was presented.
It was recommended that the RAFC office and the regional accountants strengthen coordination with conduits and PCAF to expedite the liquidation of prior-year fund transfers, stressing the importance of timely disbursements and proper fund transfer procedures.
Furthermore, PCAF provided an update on the US PL480 project on the Intensified Community-Based Dairy Enterprise Development (ICBDED) and provided a list of beneficiaries in the cluster.
The report showed significant growth in the dairy components: the Dairy Goat Component saw a 166% increase in standing herd (from 431 to 1,146) and yielded 292,990 liters of milk, while the Dairy Cattle Component achieved a 55% increase in its herd (from 384 to 607), producing 825,847 liters of milk.
The project continues to support the industry through advanced Artificial Insemination services and the procurement of dairy equipment. Evaluative studies were also conducted, including one on transforming the Philippine dairy industry through policy and technology.
Sagip Saka Act workshop and operational plan
A workshop was conducted after the presentation of the overview of the Sagip Saka Act. The law aims to resolve long-standing challenges in the sector by improving access for farmers and fisherfolk to markets, affordable credit, post-harvest facilities, and adequate infrastructure support.
In the workshop, the necessity of strengthening the AFCs’ capacity to act as the legally mandated Local Councils for Farmers and Fisherfolk Enterprise Development was highlighted.
The Mindanao B workshop generated validated inputs for the cluster’s FY 2026 Operational Plan, including their concerns on the institutionalization of the Sagip Saka framework and the role of the AFCs. | Jezebel Campaniel
