The Regional Convergence Initiative Technical Working Group (RCI TWG) MIMAROPA will launch the Mag-asawang Tubig Watershed Convergence Area as its pilot convergence area in the region.

In a CADP workshop conducted with the NCI-SRD National Secretariat on 21-24 September 2021, the RCI TWG MIMAROPA unveiled that the proposed CADP will cover the Municipality of Victoria, with its barangays Villa Cerveza, Alcate and Bagong Buhay.

“It took us a while to find a suitable area to establish the convergence initiative. Coordination with the local chief executives is a problem in a region like IV-B because provinces are literally separated by bodies of water. But with the dedication of our staff and the continuous support of Secretary Dar and Usec. Carpio, we are now at step 1 of establishing the CADP in our region,” said DA RFO IV-B Regional Executive Director Antonio Gerundio.

“We need all the support and funding we can get. The CADP will cover one municipality but we are targeting more.  I am happy that our colleagues from DAR, DENR, and DILG are proactive and supportive. This is the spirit of convergence,” Dir. Gerundio reiterated.

The NCI-SRD is a joint project of the Departments of Agriculture, Agrarian Reform, Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of Interior and Local Government. It aims to establish one convergence area per region by 2022.###