The Bureau of Plant Industry – Crop Pest Management Division (BPI-CPMD), in collaboration with project partners from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), held the 3rd Annual Assessment of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) funded project, “Advancing Climate Smart Pest Management in Rice Farming Through Innovation and Capacity Building (CSPM)”, in Alfonso, Cavite from November 17–21, 2025. The activity aimed to evaluate the project’s performance after its first three years and to support continuous improvement. Participants of the assessment included chiefs and representatives of the Regional Crop Protection Centers (RCPCs), the project evaluator, and representatives from DA-BAR and the National Rice Program (NRP).

The Bureau of Plant Industry–Crop Pest Management Division (BPI-CPMD), in collaboration with project partners from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), held the 3rd Annual Assessment of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Agricultural Research (DA-BAR) funded project, “Advancing Climate Smart Pest Management in Rice Farming Through Innovation and Capacity Building (CSPM)”, in Alfonso, Cavite from November 17–21, 2025.

The activity aimed to evaluate the project’s performance after its first three years and to support continuous improvement. Specifically, the assessment sought to: (a) present and discuss the results of completed and ongoing project activities to provide evaluators and stakeholders with clear understanding of the project’s performance and progress; (b) contribute to the critical assessment of the project performance and provide guidance for improvement and continuation; (c) contribute to the development the project operations manual and sustainability plan; and (d) systematically analyze the factors that may affect project sustainability using the SWOT framework.

Participants included chiefs and representatives of the Regional Crop Protection Centers (RCPCs), the project evaluator, and representatives from DA-BAR and the National Rice Program (NRP). Dr. Valentino C. Perdido, Project Development Officer IV from the DA-Office of the Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development (DA-OURID), served as the evaluator, while Mr. Jay Invinsor L. Bermas, Senior Agriculturist from the BAR-Program Monitoring, Evaluation, and Linkaging Division (BAR-PMELD), and Ms. Perly Requiso, Project Evaluation Officer II from BAR-PMELD, who represented DA-BAR.

The program opened with a virtual welcoming remark from BPI Director Gerald Glenn F. Panganiban, Ph.D., followed by an overview of the CSPM project by Dr. Nancy P. Castilla, Senior Associate Scientist from IRRI. Staff from BPI-CPMD, IRRI, and PhilRice then presented updates on their respective project components. Each presentation was followed by an open forum where participants and project staff discussed the activities in detail. Afterward, DA-BAR representatives and the project evaluator shared recommendations to further strengthen project implementation. Following this, the development of a sustainability plan for the project was discussed through brainstorming sessions and a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis. The event concluded with a closing message from BPI-CPMD Chief, Dr. Peter M. Magdaraog, who summarized the key points of the assessment.