.::. BAR Chronicle .::. A monthly publication of the Bureau of Agricultural Research

To discuss various issues on R&D that cut across different agencies of the Department of Agriculture , the first R&D Management Committee (RDMC) meeting was held last 30 January 2001 at the BAR-CERDAF Boardroom. Present were members of the RDMC namely, Director Eliseo Ponce (Bureau of Agricultural Research), Director Blo Umpar Adiong (Bureau of Plant Industry), Director Teodoro Abilay (Bureau of Animal Industry), Administrator Cecilia Gloria Soriano (Fiber Industry Development Authority), Administrator Eugenia Orpia (Cotton Development Authority), Executive Director Leocadio Sebastian (Philippine Rice Research Institute), and Deputy Administrator Carlos B. Carpio (Philippine Coconut Authority). Attending for the Sugar Regulatory Administration, the National Tobacco Administration, and Bureau of Soils and Water Management were Angelina M. Lojo, Roberto R. Bonotan, Perlita L. Baula, and Jose Rondal, respectively. Dr. Ponce presided the meeting.

Organizational matters/concerns and future agenda of the committee were discussed during the meeting covering the briefing on S.O. 721, which provides the creation of the DA R&D Management Committee (RDMC). The RDMC was created for the following functions: 1) to assess the progress/status and identify problems and issues in the implementation of the research and development program among R&D units of the department; 2) to determine appropriate actions/solutions that DA R&D agencies should undertake to address identified problems; and 3) to determine important concerns that need to be brought to the attention of the DA management.

Updates on the Agriculture Restructuring and Bureaucracy Plan (ABRP) were also taken up during the meeting. The ABRP aims to streamline and reorient the structure of the DA along functional lines to achieve efficiency, enhance coordination, improve access of farmer and fisherfolk to support services, strengthen its partnerships with local government units (LGUs), and reduce the cost of doing business in the agriculture and fisheries sector.

Dr. Ponce briefed the group on the different funding facility of BAR particularly the Institutional Development Program (IDP). He encouraged the members to avail of the BAR assistance program for corporate planning and the Institutional Development Grant (IDG) for strengthening the capabilities of R&D centers. For the scholarship program, the group agreed on qualifying applicants exceeding the age limit for pursuing graduate studies provided that a proper justification is made on their educational capability to undertake such degree.

Also, Dr. Ponce presented to the group the draft of the memorandum order on the establishment of the DA RDE Complex. The proposed establishment shall serve as the nerve center for the Agriculture and Fisheries R&D Information Systems (AFRDIS). It shall house the office of the secretariat of the CERDAF, the liaison office of the National R&D networks, and the BAR. Likewise, it shall provide office space for all liaison offices of DA R&D institutions such as PhilRice, Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) and Bureau of Postharvest Research and Extension (BPRE), which are located outside of the Greater Manila Area. Lastly, it shall form the nucleus of the proposed DA Research, Development and Extension (RD/E) Complex, which covers the improvement of the existing DA facilities and lots occupied by the PCA, ATI, BPI, BAI, NFA, and BSWM. The center will be located at the DA property at the corner of Elliptical Road and Visayas Avenue, adjacent to the ATI Building facing BSWM and BPI-NPAL, Diliman, Quezon City. Members were requested to study the memo and make comments for discussion for the next RDMC meeting.