MACABALAN, Cagayan de Oro City – The Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program Phase 2 of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Northern Mindanao (BFAR-10) spearheaded the SAAD FY 2025 Second Quarter Meeting on July 16, at the Bureau’s compound in this city.

Key personnel from the Regional and five Provincial Program Management Support Offices (R/PPMSOs) convened to review SAAD’s progress and share insights on the outcomes of interventions and activities conducted during the first semester.

According to SAAD Assistant Regional Focal Person Vianney Anthony A. Gapuz, the activity aimed to assess the program’s performance for the first half of the year, identify operational gaps, and establish concrete strategies to strengthen the implementation of SAAD Phase 2 across the covered provinces.

“This mid-year review allows us to recalibrate our plans and strategies to ensure that we are responsive to the needs of our fisherfolk beneficiaries. Our goal is to deliver timely interventions and establish sustainable livelihood initiatives that will uplift their communities,” Gapuz emphasized.

During the discussion, the group focused on several key areas, including project target setting, evaluation of data collected through the Marketing Assistance and Enterprise Development (MAED) Enterprise Profitability Assessment (EPA), and updates on Information Technology Development and Database (ITDD) as well as Public Relations and Development Communication (PRDC).

Following the review, the team outlined specific actions to address identified gaps. Priority measures include enhancing project monitoring, strengthening coordination with Local Government Units (LGUs), fast-tracking the delivery of interventions, and facilitating the preparation of required documentation to support ongoing and future activities under SAAD Phase 2.

In his closing remarks, Ibrahim R. Sanggoyod, SAAD Alternate Assistant Regional Focal Person emphasized the importance of collective action in strengthening program implementation and achieving meaningful outcomes for the region’s fisherfolk communities, saying, “With everyone’s collaboration and shared commitment, I believe we can drive the SAAD Program toward success and deliver real, lasting benefits to our fisherfolk communities.”