Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and National Resources Reasearch and Development (PCAARRD) and WorldFish signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in October 2012 to subdity partnership by identified specific areas of collaboration and complementation for implementation in the next two years.
Dr. Danilo Cardenas, PCAARRD Deputy Executive Director for Administration stressed that “PCAARRD always welcome the opportunity to partner with WorldFish and that it is prepared to co-invest in any planned Facilities aligned to the industry strategic S&T plans (ISPs)”.
Dr. Leah Buendia Director of the Policy Coordination and Monitoring Division (PCMD) said that despite the combination of the partnership in 2012, MOU; no specific plans have been drawn up. She then painted the potential areas of complementation as well as those areas for new initiatives.
Dr. Maripaz Perez, WorldFish regional Director for Asia presented the Aquatic Agricultural System (AAS) program and its activities especially in the Visayas-Mindanao Hub indicating the programs partners can pursue. She commended PCAARRD for developing the ISPs which helped them in focusing its research agenda for the AAS in the Philippines and in identifying its own priority activities in the program sites.
PCAARRD Executive Director Patricia Faylon pleased with that WorldFish is intensely involving PCAARRD said that PCAARRD looks to WorldFish and CGIAR centers for technologies and technical support emphasized a two-step goal; enhanced understanding of appropriate and relevant fisheries technologies, and innovation so that these technologies become adaptable to the capacities of our small-scale fishers and farmers as well as to the environment.
Stated for implementation by August 2014 where both parties have a common commodity and sites, or on-going projects include abaca, mud crab, sea cucumber, milkfish, vegetable, tilapia and coral reef. Pipeline for 2015 implementation are for tilapia, seaweeds, mango, and milkfish, and fisheries resource accounting.
Dr. Buendia and Dr. Albert Aquino (Directors) Socio-Economics Research Division (SERD) convened the workshop with the assistance of PCMD and SERD staff. Specific ISP managers presented their respective programs and highlighted aspects of possible collaboration.
The following ISP managers helped craft the work plan: Dr. Juanito Batalon, Ms. Leilani Pelegrina, Engr. Eduardo Manalili, Dr. Adelaida Calpe, Dr. Norida Samson, Ms. Preciosa Samonte, and Dr. Mari-Ann Acedera, Ms. Melissa Palacio, represented Mr. Allan Siano.
The WorldFish team, on the other hand, comprised Mr. Len Farces (Research Fellow & initiative leader for governance), Dr. Lutgarda Tolentino (Knowledge Action Researcher), Dr. Lily Ann Lando (Communication Officer and initiative leader for productivity), Dr. Enrique Avila (Hub Science Manager), Mr. Paul Joseph Ramirez (Research Fellow and initiative leader for markets) Ms. Aisa Manlosa (Gender Research Analyst) and Ms. Marjorie-Ann Sumaya (AAS Coordinator). (PsciJourn MegaManila)
