PROJECT CONDUCTS ORIENTATION AND CONSULTATION WITH PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS

Date: June 4, 2010

As agreed during the May 19, 2010 project briefing, an orientation and consultation activity for the DReAMS Project was held last June 4, 2010 at the Provincial Planning and Development Office. Present in the meeting were the Municipal Planning and Development Coordinators (MPDCs) of Maribojoc, Tubigon, Jagna, Pilar, and Talibon, and the members of the Provincial Implementing Team (PIT).

The following was the flow of the activity:

1. Welcoming Address by Atty. John Titus Vistal (Bohol senior expert)

2. Preliminaries by Metodio Maraguinot Jr. (assistant project manager)

3. About DReAMS Project by Engr. Ronilita Bunado (junior expert)

4. About ecoBUDGET by Engr. Noel Mendaña (Tubigon municipal expert)

5. About PDMS and its latest features by Dr. Nestor Pestelos (project manager)

6. Consultation and Planning Proper facilitated by Metodio Maraguinot

During the consultation, the MPDCs declared their interest for the inclusion of their respective municipalities in the piloting of the DReAMS Project. It was decided as well by the among the MPDCs and the PIT that formal engagements on the project with the chief executives of the five municipalities will start only in July to give time for the transition activities (Candidates who won in the May 10 elections will be assuming office on June 30. MPDCs play a crucial role in the preparation of transition reports and in the transition activities).

BOHOL’S IMPLEMENTING TEAM CONDUCTS MONTHLY MEETING, FOCUSES ON TUBIGON’S ecoBUDGET + PDMS INTEGRATION

Date: June 2, 2010

Held June 2, 2010, the Members of the Bohol Provincial Implementing Team (PIT) for the DReAMS Project met for their monthly meeting at the Provincial Planning and Development Office. On top of the agenda was Tubigon’s specific target of integrating ecoBUDGET + PDMS in order to come up with the DReAMS database software prototype within the month of June. Engr. Noel Mendaña, Tubigon’s Municipal Expert for DReAMS Project, led the technical briefing.

Apart from the members of the PIT, also present in the meeting were representatives from the Institute of Governance and Development (GoDev), Bohol’s local partner institution for the DReAMS Project. Dr. Nestor Pestelos, DReAMS Project manager, presided over the meeting. The PIT will meet again before the end of June for the presentation and demonstration of the DReAMS database software prototype of Tubigon.

PDMS RESOURCE TEAM HOLDS BRAINSTORMING WITH PARTNERS, DISCUSSES UPDATES AND KEY ACTION POINTS

Date: June 1, 2010

With the purpose of consolidating all efforts for the implementation of the Bohol Poverty Database Monitoring System (PDMS) Plan under the DReAMS Project, the members of the PDMS Resource Team converged last June 1, 2010 at Garden Café in Tagbilaran City, Bohol to hold a brainstorming activity as well as to discuss updates and other key action points.

Present in the meeting were Dr. Nestor Pestelos (project manager), Metodio Maraguinot Jr. (assistant project manager), Tony Irving (Bohol IT expert and PDMS resource team leader), Nathanael Hinay (PDMS specialist), and Judy Bedio (junior IT specialist). DReAMS Project local partner institutions, namely, the Institute for Governance and Development (GoDev) and Bohol Local Development Foundation (BLDF), also sent in representatives to help in the planning namely Joyce Barafon and Jean Celeste Paredes both from GoDev and Bona Dea Padron of BLDF.

Discussion highlights:
• Assignment of Area Coordinators to look into the status of the PDMS in the municipalities that will be piloted, except for Tubigon
• No need to develop separate software for the pilot municipalities in Bohol. What can be done is develop the DReAMS database as an added feature in the PDMS
• GoDev and BLDF to extend technical assistance in the mobilization of the staff work for the development of the DReAMS database in the pilot municipalities
• Tubigon to be the Team’s priority for the month of June