“We have to cope with our targets so that we can accomplish it in the upcoming remaining months of the year”, Minister Aida Silongan emphasized during the 2022 Mid-Year Performance Review and Assessment Workshop of the Bangsamoro Government’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) held at Grand Summit Hotel, General Santos City. MOST regular and co-terminus from regional to provincial offices and other staff participated in the activity from July 19 to 23, 2022.

The said activity aims to review and evaluate the performance and accomplishment of the ministry for the 1st Semester of the Year 2022 and provide actions/recommendations to ensure the delivery of services timely. It also aims to plan for necessary measures to improve work performance for the 2nd Semester of the Year.

The 2022 Mid-Year Performance Review is mainly for the performance and accomplishment review of the implementation of programs and projects, accomplishments of the Office of the Minister, Finance and Administrative Division, Technical Management and Operation Division, Support to Operation, sections, and provinces. The activity aims to present and discuss each division’s physical accomplishments based on the Work and Financial Plan of 2022.

The MOST top management, composed of the Minister, Deputy Minister, Bangsamoro Director-General, and Division Chiefs, gathered and carefully assessed, discussed the issues and concerns and ensured strong recommendations, plans, and initiatives to address all these concerns.

Engr. Abdulwahid Sendad, Chief of Finance and Administrative Division – Designate, led the creation of the institutional or ministry’s target for 2023 to 2028. He encouraged each division, section, and provincial center to provide realistic targets that would significantly impact the Bangsamoro. He also emphasized that targets must have means of verification and data sources that would progressively be achieved throughout the years. The targets set are inputs of the ministry for the Bangsamoro Development Investment Plan.

For example, the Research, Development and Innovation section targeted producing 12 research products from 2023 to 2028. The top management seriously discussed the targets set, especially establishing technology hub centers in the six provinces of the Bangsamoro region.

In the workshop, all section and provincial heads presented the catch-up plan for the second semester of the year, presented their 2023-2028 targets, and commitment to implementing all programs and projects of the ministry. The ministry ensured that the remaining activities would be implemented as soon as possible.

The said activity also determined some of the learning keys encountered during the implementation of programs and projects, such as challenges, issues, concerns, and ways forward to develop possible solutions and assess opportunities for improvement.

Furthermore, for the new employees to understand the office policies on travels, cash advances, reimbursements, procurements, and other financial transactions, Mr. Rahib Sendad, MOST Accountant III, discussed the above mentioned. It is to ensure that employees are aware of the allowable expenses they input in their itinerary of travels, such as per diems, and etc.

The 2022 Mid-Year Review also enlightened everyone about the ministry’s mandate and the expected outcome and output that the ministry must achieve.

[AOM-IO]