Two students from the College of Management of the University of the Philippines Visayas qualified for a series of training workshops on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) endorsed by the Regional Development Council (RDC) VI - Regional Project Monitoring Committee (RPMC), and organized by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region VI.
Project MINI ME or Mainstreaming and Institutionalizing for the New-Generation the Investment in Monitoring and Evaluation is a training and mentorship program for the youth on monitoring and evaluation. This initiative intends to provide training workshops on planning, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of government programs and projects for youth leaders.
The Kick-Off Activity for the nationwide effort was held last June 15-16, 2023 at the RDC Hall, NEDA Building, Iloilo City. Third-year BS in Management students Samuelle Saluta and Mark Luigi Tatoy, along with other other qualifiers from different SUCs in Western Visayas, immersed in various learning sessions and team building activities. These were aimed to provide the participants with practical insight on project development cycle and the government processes relating to these projects.
After the Kick-off Activity, Saluta and Tatoy participated in a series of activities spearheaded by NEDA Region VI. The first of which were the capacity-building, lecture, mentorship, and on-site inspections of the ongoing Boracay Rehabilitation Programs and Projects which were held in Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan last July 4-7. Moreover, the same set of activities were conducted for the ongoing Jalaur River Multipurpose Project (the biggest infrastructure project in Western Visayas). Finally, the student-qualifiers participated in the launching of the Regional Development Plan (2023-2028) which was held last July 12-14.
Saluta emphasized that the training activities were beneficial in sharpening and improving their well-being as student leaders. On the other hand, Tatoy highlighted the importance of strengthening the monitoring and evaluation system to combat malpractices and corruption in different agencies, and ensuring that the government programs and projects are properly implemented.
Accordingly, Mark Luigi Tatoy was elected by the other Project MINI ME qualifiers as the alternate youth sector representative to the RDC-RPMC VI. As the alternative youth sector representative, Tatoy will actively participate in the RPMC-VI meetings and activities, provide input on youth-related concerns, assist in monitoring of project implementation, and report findings to the Committee. His term of office shall end on June 30, 2025.
After these initial set of activities, the qualifiers are scheduled to participate in similar activities until November 2023; including the M&E Forum in Iloilo City, another site visit at the Bacolod-Negros Occidental Economic Highway (National Flagship Infrastructure Program), the Cadiz Solar Power Plant, and the Completion Rites.
