After almost four years of hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, members of the Eastern Visayas Technical Working Group—the “workhorses” behind the Regional Convergence Initiative for Sustainable Rural Development (RCI-SRD)—finally gathered again. They took part in the NCI-SRD National Secretariat Bill Advocacy Rollout held on September 2-4, 2025 at Hotel Alejandro in Tacloban City.
The timing could not have been more fitting, as controversies hound flood control projects in Congress. While lawmakers deliberate in both Houses, the NCI-SRD National Secretariat is busy pushing for the institutionalization of the National Convergence Strategy for Sustainable Rural Development (NCS-SRD).
This regional rollout follows similar advocacy activities in Mindanao and Luzon. Its purpose: to present the salient features of the proposed law and secure the support of local legislators for a strategy that has long proven its worth in bringing government agencies together to transform rural communities.
The NCS-SRD is a joint effort of four key agencies—the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DA-DAR-DENR-DILG).
In her opening remarks, Dr. Jenny Lyn R. Almeria, RTD for Research and Regulations of DA-RFO 8, welcomed guests from the central offices and local participants from the region’s congressional districts. Representing Regional Executive Director Andrew Rodolfo T. Orais, she underscored the importance of learning more about convergence, recalling how the initiative first took root in Eastern Visayas through the highly successful LCAEC municipal model in Javier, Leyte.
Director Karen Kristine Roscom, head of the NCI-SRD National Secretariat, explained the long-standing push to institutionalize the program through various House and Senate bills—among them HB 0262, 3566, 5981, 7114, 7995, and SB 2918 filed by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada. These measures aim to secure dedicated funding for convergence activities, ending the piecemeal practice of sourcing funds through attribution.
Roscom commended the strong participation of local government representatives, agency heads, and other stakeholders. Messages of support from mayors, congressmen, and even Senator Estrada’s office reinforced the momentum for institutionalization. A manifesto of support, signed by key participants, capped the event—symbolizing renewed commitment to convergence as a nationally recognized strategy for rural development and watershed management.
A notable highlight was Roscom’s assurance of expanding convergence efforts beyond Javier to the neighboring towns of Abuyog and MacArthur. The updating of CADPs for these areas is expected this year, with writeshops involving local stakeholders already being planned.
If successful, this expansion could replicate the remarkable transformation of Javier—from a sleepy town into a thriving rural community under then Mayor Sandy Javier, who championed the NCI-SRD model in 1999 and turned his municipality into an economic success story within nine years.
As one of the original members of the Regional Technical Working Group, and now alternate focal for RCI-SRD under RED Orais, I feel proud to witness this renewed vigor.
Our battle cry remains: Convergence Works! And today, we add: USWAG OTSO, PADAYUN!
