CEBU CITY – The Foreign Assisted and Special Projects Office (FASPO) participated in the 2023 National Formative Assessment and Catch-up Planning Conference on July 25-28, 2023 at the Mezzo Hotel in Cebu City.

The said conference is an annual event organized by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) with the aim of assessing the performance of DAR offices and projects in the first semester of the year. It provides a platform for all DAR key officials to identify areas of improvement and develop strategies to achieve their short and long-term goals and objectives.

Representing FASPO, Assistant Secretary Josef Angelo S. Martires, PARPO II Anacleta B. Mariano, PARPO II Jenil Demorito, and Executive Assistant III Marielle Andraia Baccay participated in the assessment. During the event, Asec. Martires led the presentation and discussion of first-semester accomplishments. He also provided directives and priorities while addressing the ongoing issues and concerns of all the projects handles by FASPO per regional office.

During the FASPO session, the Regional Directors (RDs) and their Provincial Agrarian Reform Officers (PAROs) had to queue into discussion, with those who scored low having to go on overtime to explain and regroup on how to catch-up with their targets. The number of e-Titles issued is central to this meeting as the parcelization of CCLOAs enters its penultimate year. The session has been a crucial milestone in achieving the project objectives and ensuring that goals are met on time.

In addition, FASPO acknowledged and commended the regional offices that have provided exemplary progress and milestones in implementing the projects. Some challenges were also identified, such as improving project implementation timeliness and strengthening the coordination between FASPO and the regional offices. These challenges and recommendations from the assessment will be used to develop a plan of action for the second semester of the year and beyond.

The event concluded, bearing valuable insights into DAR office projects and activity, especially with FASPO’s performance and areas where it can continue to improve. It highlighted the importance of coordination and communication between the regional offices and FASPO to ensure the timely and successful implementation of projects.