PRA ‘TRANSITIONING’ TO POVERTY REDUCTION ADVOCACY

THE Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) is now transitioning from just another government owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) generating income for the government into an active partner of the Office of the President (OP) in its poverty reduction and alleviation program.

At a media forum in Manila on July 22, PRA Chairman Atty. Alexander ‘Alex’ Lopez unveiled the agency’s achievements under the Marcos administration in the past four years that now enables it to effectively respond to President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Junior’s call for all GOCCs to help alleviate the plight of the country’s marginalized sectors thru their respective ‘CSRs’ (corporate social responsibility) programs.

Lopez noted that since his appointment in late 2023 along with the other members of the PRA Board of Directors (BOD), the agency’s assets valuation has soared from some ₱37 billion to ₱215 billion this year. He said they expect their valuation to further jumped to more than ₱500 billion by next year.

Practically an ‘NPA’ (non-performing asset) among the GOCCs and ranked as ‘Class C’ just several years ago, the PRA has jumped into the ‘Class A’ rank of the government’s most profitable owned and controlled corporations, enabling it to remit ₱386.87 million to the national coffer in the first half of this year, Lopez noted further.

Lopez said the PRA’s increasing financial foundation enabled it to allocate more funds for its CSR programs, in response to the President’s call.

He bared further that between 2023 and this year, the PRA has already set aside some ₱2.3 billion for its CSR.

₱210 million, said, would be set aside this year for one of their most successful projects, the ‘Hydroponic Farming Project’ covering 700 schools with an expected beneficiaries of more than 2.8 million youths and students.

Lopez said they ‘pilot-tested’ the project only in 2023 covering four schools and an aggregate budget of just ₱1.2 million and was impressed on the direct positive impact it made on their partner communities and schools.

“We are not only trying to build a Bagong Pilipinas, but also, a Bagong Pilipino under the Marcos administration and it looks like we might succeed,” Lopez said.

The HFP aims to help the youth and students develop their entrepreneurial and agricultural skills during their free time while also helping them to stay away from social ills and vices like illegal drugs and other anti—social activities.

The PRA has also decided to expand its college scholarship program that started with just six beneficiaries and covering the matriculation and other fees on their last year in college.

With a budget of ₱90 million this year, the PRA said they would now be paying for the full  4-years course of some 300 qualified college students from fisherfolk families and communities affected by reclamation projects.

Lopez added that they are continuing their program of distributing free ‘bancas’ made from fiberglass and has also introduced ‘smoked fish’ (tinapa) skills training program, especially to the wives of fishermen to make sure that their leftover catch does not go to waste.

“Under the Bagong Pilipinas vision of President Bongbong Marcos, the public can be assured that genuine reforms are being undertaken inside every agency of the government and that we are faithfully committed to pursue his program of doing our share to improve the life of every Filipino,” Lopez said further.