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$50-M WB Project Refuses to Take Off in Bicol

Political bickering, bureaucratic delays, and resistance from the New People's Army (NPA) could prevent the Community-Based Resource Management Project (CBRMP) in Bicol region from taking off. Funds are fast draining, largely because of loan reductions and these may further doom the project’s implementation before its expected completion next year.

By PERRY M. CALARA
Kaiba News and Features-Bicol / Bulatlat.com

LEGASPI CITY - Political bickering, bureaucratic delays, and resistance from the New People's Army (NPA) could prevent the Community-Based Resource Management Project (CBRMP) in Bicol region from taking off. Funds are fast draining, largely because of loan reductions and these may further doom the project’s implementation before its expected completion next year.

Funded by the World Bank, the CBRMP is a “natural resource management project” of the Department of Finance (DOF) and managed by its Municipal Development Fund Office (MDFO). With a $50-million loan, the project covers not only in Bicol towns but also in Caraga, Eastern Visayas (Samar area), and Central Visayas (Cebu area)- four of the country’s poorest regions.

One reason for the delay is the political conflicts in the project's area. During the 2001 elections, the CBRMP project was an issue in many candidates' campaign strategy. Many who were against incumbent officials opposed it. Officials of the CBRMP-Bicol indeed admitted that the 2001 elections caused a four-month delay to the project.

There was also a case in Lagonoy, Camarines Sur where the local government unit (LGU) approved a sub-project, amounting to PhP 25 million, only to be withdrawn later on by the Sangguniang Bayan (SB). Majority of the SB members who won in the elections were opposed to the former administration that worked for the approval of the CBRMP project. Funds amounting to some PhP2 million were returned to the CBRMP by the municipality.

In Caramoan, Camarines Sur, the provincial governor and the mayor belong to different political parties. As a result, the town government had difficulty in getting a Provincial Planning and Development Office's (PPDO) endorsement for its project worth PhP16 million. CBRMP requires a PPDO endorsement.

Bureaucratic red tape has also been identified by stakeholders as a reason for the slow implementation of the project. Too much paper work for the LGUs, which have not experienced foreign funded projects, is one of the reasons for the delay. Local officials of Castilla town in Sorsogon processed their loan facility for two years. The first tranche of project fund was released to them by the MDFO last December 26. They have lost count on how many times they had revised their feasibility study. But, when the LGU's project coordinator, King Dolison, was asked how many reams of bond paper were used in the process of loan application, he immediately replied, “Ay! grabe, mga 100 reams (Too much, about 100 reams).” The MDFO approved a PhP18million project for Castilla.

One document being sought by the CBRMP for the first release of fund was the Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP). It took the LGUs in Bicol about four months to prepare the DIP. After four months, the document would still be scrutinized by the MDFO in Manila even if it was already evaluated and endorsed by the Bicol-CBRMP.

There were additional requirements that the MDFO were asking even after an LGU project has been approved for fund release. The four regional CBRMP field offices call this as "running requirements."

Organizational problems

In addition to the voluminous requirements as a reason for the delay, the Central CBRMP also faced organizational problems. It has changed its project managers three times in three years. They are looking for their fourth project manager in the fourth year. Three months after the resignation of the last project manager, they have not found a substitute to lead the project. The project will end in 2003.

Project consultants at the Central CBRMP speculated that the last project manager had incompatible management style with the bureaucrats at the MDFO.

Interestingly, another project at the MDFO, the Local Government for Finance and Development (LOGOFIND), a $100-million project loan from the World Bank, is also plagued by resignations. Its project manager resigned last November. His resignation was followed in December by two other project consultants of LOGOFIND. Like in the CBRMP project, no replacement for the project manager has been found.

There are also conflicts among among government line agencies in the region. The regional director of the National Economic and Development Authority in Bicol have backed out from CBRMP-Bicol. Director Marlene Rodriguez, of NEDA-Bicol, reportedly has an irreconcilable difference in running the CBRMP with the Bureau of Local Government and Finance (BLGF). The BLGF manages the regional CBRMP's operational fund.

New People’s Army

As if the problem in the political conflict and bureaucracy is not enough, CBRMP is also faced with the insurgency problem. The New People's Army is opposing the project.

The NPA has reportedly sent letters to some LGU project coordinators asking them to discontinue with their activities under the CBRMP. There are incidents that the guerrilla group has stopped project implementation in Castilla and Magallanes, both in Sorsogon.

A supposed letter from the local NPA to the project coordinator in San Miguel, Catanduanes last February 2002 stated that, "Iminumungkahi namin sa inyo na huwag ipagpatuloy ang inyong aktibidad dito sa erya dahil mapipilitan kami na ipatigil ang anumang patrabaho at pauuwiin ang mga tao ninyo." (We are asking you to refrain from pursuing your activities in our area. If you continue your activities, we will be forced to stop these and send home your personnel).

Opposition from the NPA has also been monitored in Presentation and Bato, Camarines Sur.

The opposition of the NPA appears to be ideological in nature. This is an opposition that may not be resolved within the CBRMP. Some CBRMP community organizers have been told by NPA guerrillas similar World Bank projects in the past that, "have only increased poverty incidence in their area of responsibility."

Community organizers said that the NPAs are questioning the link of CBRMP to the World Bank, known to be under the control of the United States. However, there are unconfirmed reports that municipal project coordinators are asking the NPA guerrillas to give consideration to their CBRMP project.

In April last year, a supervisory mission of the Arroyo administration and the WB gave the CBRMP an unsatisfactory rating. This is one of the reasons that the original loan of $50 million was reduced to $40 million. In the November 2001 supervisory mission the project was given a marginal satisfactory rating. The $40 million loan was again reduced to $33 million that month.

The project will end in 2003. At this point, consultants at the municipal and the Central CBRMP have figured that there are municipalities that cannot fully implement their CBRMP project. They will have to ask for an extension or cancel parts of their loan.

Will the project be able to make it? Only time can tell. (KNF, http://www.kaiba.cjb.net/) Bulatlat.com

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