JICA Projects Up for Ex-post Evaluation

Two Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-assisted projects are up for ex-post evaluation this year—the Fisheries Resort Management Project (FRMP) of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR)-Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Metro Manila Strategic Mass Rail Development Project (LRT2) of the Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA).
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) and JICA will conduct the joint ex-post evaluation as discussed in a recent meeting at the Richmonde Hotel, Pasig City. NEDA Project Monitoring Staff (PMS) Director Roderick M. Planta and JICA-Tokyo representative Maki Tomika led the meeting.
According to Planta, the joint ex-post evaluation kick-off meeting aims to formally start the ex-post evaluation process for the year and draw up schedules for submission of data and preliminary results, as well as the review and validation.
Currently, information is being collected by the evaluators through field visits and surveys with the implementers and beneficiaries. All information should be collected by February next year for analysis and preparation of the preliminary report, which will be presented in May. The final evaluation of these projects will be presented in August 2009, and published in March 2010.
The projects will be subjected to the five Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development-Development Assistance Committee’s (DAC) evaluation criteria—relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. The project’s objectives, scope and needs both at the appraisal and current status will be measured. The evaluators will also compare the plans, project duration and costs with the project results and analyze the efficiency of implementation. Effectiveness will be evaluated by comparing planned and actual figures using operational and effect indicators and internal rates of return to examine the extent to which project objectives have been attained. Impact will be assessed by the direct and indirect effects of the project, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Finally, the project’s sustainability will be measured by examining its medium and long-term effects and looking at countermeasures to resolve problems, if any.
After considering all the above criteria, the project will then be given a final rating, ranging from A (highly satisfactory), B (satisfactory), C (moderately satisfactory) to D
(unsatisfactory).
The ex-post evaluation for 2008 is the last of the three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NEDA and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), which was signed May 2006 before its merge with the JICA in October. The MOU includes carrying out of joint evaluation of JBIC projects; policy dialogues and feedback seminars; study groups to develop evaluation methods; and institutional improvement thru information exchange on evaluation mechanisms.