The World Bank (WB) lauded the official website of an antipoverty program in Mindanao, barely six months after its launch.
The website, www.damrdp.net, of Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) was cited for promoting transparency, strengthening advocacy campaigns and spreading public information.
Jointly funded by the WB, the national government and the local government units, MRDP is a five-year program geared toward uplifting the lives of the poorest of the poor in Mindanao by increasing income of farmers, capacitating women and indigenous peoples, and enhancing local governance and environmental protection. The program is implemented through the Department of Agriculture.
WB rural development specialist Carolina F. Geron said the website has been very effective in terms reflecting of the programs activities as well as its policy.
“I congratulate the program for establishing its own website making the program and the Department of Agriculture transparent to the public and to all its stakeholders,” Geron said.
Further, WB procurement specialist Noel Sta. Ines added that the website leads other agencies in promoting transparency.
“I appreciate the (MRDP) website as there is an updated posting of projects for bidding and even the bidding documents are made available in a downloadable format. I hope other agencies follow suit,” Sta. Ines said.
Aside from available public documents, the website also highlights news and feature stories of the most recent activities and feats of the program, the performance of the regional coordinating offices as well as the accomplishments of participating local government units (LGUs).
It also contains anti-corruption hotline direct to WB headquarters in Washington, DC USE, projects status, downloadable brochures and other education materials and links to attached agencies.
“Since 2007, we’ve been wanting to establish our own website and we are glad that we have realized it and even happier with the feedback of its users,” deputy director Arnel de Mesa said.
“We hope to make a dent in making a government program like MRDP as transparent as possible to the public,” he added.
“The internet world is the new highway of information source and information exchange and we don’t want to be left behind of the fast-paced and modern mode of communication,” De mesa enthused.
The InfoACE (Information, Advocacy, Communication and Education) unit of the Program maintains the website.
Meanwhile, WB social development specialist Ines Bagadion also commended the InfoACE team for publishing documents, booklets and brochures that met the needs of the people’s organization as they carry-out various projects under the Program.
