DA-10 spearheads the conduct of a quarterly coordination meeting for a presentation of updates on grant-in-aids for students enrolling agri and related discipline, and ACEF loan availment among farmers and fishers.

 

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – To gauge and harmonize the implementation of the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (ACEF), the Department of Agriculture – Regional Field Office 10 ACEF Regional Coordinating Unit (DA-10 ACEF-RCU) chaired by DA-10 Regional Technical Director for Operations Carlota S. Madriaga, recently convened ACEF-implementing bodies – Commission on Higher Education – Region 10 (CHED-10) and Landbank of the Philippines’ (LBP) lending centers in Northern Mindanao for its quarterly coordination meeting, in this city.

Mainly, the gathering focused on the presentation of updates and consensus by the CHED and LBP’s lending centers in Region 10 relative to the ACEF – Grants-in-Aid for Higher Education Program (ACEF-GIAHEP) application for students enrolling agriculture and related discipline, and ACEF loan availment among the farmers and fisherfolk’s associations, cooperatives in the region.

Dir. Madriaga urged the DA-10 ACEF-RCU to assist CHED in cascading the updated guidelines of the ACEF-GIAHEP, while urging the CHED to expedite screening of qualified ACEF scholars.

Similarly, the DA-10 ACEF-RCU vowed to assist the LBP in fast-tracking ACEF loan applications and provide manpower augmentation for monitoring and settlement of past due loans.

As a way forward, the DA official enjoined the LBP and CHED to work closely with DA in pinpointing mitigating courses of action for improved ACEF implementation in the region.# (ATT)