The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the agency poised to handle the P100-billion coco levy fund, will start the implementation of an ambitious transformation program that will be carried out over the next 18 years.
PCA Administrator Madrigal delivers his message for the launching of the PCA Transformation Roadmap (PTR). Also in photo are PCA Deputy Administrators Roel M. Rosales of Operations Branch and Erlene C. Manohar of Research and Development Branch. The launching was done via Zoom video conference and was simultaneously livestreamed via Facebook Live.
The program was ambitious in a sense that it should help PCA "conquer the ASEAN arena" by 2038. That was at least how PCA Administrator Benjamin R. Madrigal Jr. had put it.
On Friday, PCA launched the PCA Transformation Roadmap (PTR) which will set the direction for PCA to become a globally recognized institution by 2038.
Madrigal said in a statement that PTR will prompt the shift in his agency’s focus from “mere implementation of subsidy programs and projects to injecting agribusiness in every step of the supply chain.”
PTR, to be specific, will provide a platform for the coconut farmers to be active participants in the supply value chain and will capacitate them to be entrepreneurs.
As part of this transformation initiative initiated by Madrigal, PCA established the agency’s Multi-Sectoral Advisory Board (MSAB), which is composed of industry experts and government representatives such as Quezon Representative Wilfrido Mark Enverga and National Scientist Emil Javier.
Jesus Estanislao, Chairman Emeritus of Institute for Solidarity in Asia (ISA) administered the board's oath-taking.
Aside from the launch of PTR, PCA has formally enrolled the Performance Governance System (PGS) of the ISA, an exclusive certifying body for good governance in the public sector using the PGS.
Through the PGS, definitive objectives and strategic measures were identified, enabling PCA to effectively take its course in refocusing its strategic direction, automating its processes, enhancing manpower competence, and strengthening its organizational capabilities to be able to effectively succeed in implementing the agribusiness approach.
Based on the program timelines, PCA should be a leading agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA) and steer a market-driven coconut industry by 2022.
“The PCA would be conquering the ASEAN arena by 2033, leading to the global vision by 2038,” said Madrigal, who became the PCA Administrator in January this year.
The other week, Madrigal revealed to Business Bulletin that a lot of things being done at the PCA need to be changed.
“When I first came here at PCA, I had so many questions. First is institutional. I notice a lot of things are missing. There was no strategic communications and the IT, especially in terms of program monitoring, has weak absorptive capacity. The perception of congress is PCA can’t utilize the money, but the real problem is program implementation and monitoring,” Madrigal said.
“PCA shouldn’t only focus on transforming the industry. It also needs institutional transformation,” he added.
Amid the issues of corruption in other government agencies, particularly at Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), Madrigal, an ex-Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), also assured there is no corruption going on at his agency.
He said this in light of the anticipated release of the P100-billion coco levy fund that the PCA is poised to handle based on the proposed Coco Levy Act pending in Congress.