Pinukpuk, Kalinga - Juliet Lucas, the Regional Director of the Department of Trade and Industry-Cordillera, lauded the success of two processing centers in Taggay, Pinukpuk for being the first to undergo ‘complete launching’ in the region.
During the event held on November 19, the regional director revealed that out of the 33 projects of Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management-Livelihood Enhancement Support 2 (INREMP-LES2) in Cordillera, Bibbila Timpuyog Farmers Organization (BTFA) and Taggay Upland Farmers Organization (TUFA) were the first people’s organizations (POs) to launch with complete processing center and shared service facility (SSF).
As a working capital, Lucas along with DTI-Kalinga Provincial Director, Renie Ramos awarded P50,000 to the Natural Fertilizer Processing Center of BTFA for their vermicast and vermicompost production.
Same amount was given to the Banana Chips Processing Center of TUFA.
The regional and provincial directors, together with Governor Ferdinand Tubban, Atty. Shannon Mahal-Kesip, representing Congressman Allen Jesse Mangaoang, and other local government and DTI officials led the ribbon-cutting, signifying the ceremonial opening of the two processing centers.
The INREMP-LES 2 is a major project of DTI in partnership with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that was launched in 2018, aiming to provide a strategic livelihood to upland farmers.
This is to address unsustainable watershed management in the three prioritized river basins, which include the Chico River Basin in Cordillera.
“So daytoy LES 2 kadagituy POs tayo ket tapnu haan tayo a pukan-pukanen ti kabanbantayan tayo, masapul ti alternative a livelihood a ma-introduce kanya tayo, purposely to balance the denudation ti forest tayo tapnu ma-biag latta ti river basin tayo along the Chico River line” PD Ramos explained.
According to the provincial director, their team started preliminary activities in the same year after the formulation of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between DTI and DENR as the project’s proponent.
The DTI personnel then conducted consultations, meetings, validations, and profiling to evaluate the eligibility criteria of the possible beneficiaries.
By 2019, the team implemented components of the project such as institutional strengthening, preparatory activities of SSF provision and the processing center, planning, bidding, enterprise start-up, and skills and entrepreneurial training to capacitate the framers.
“So sinurut tayo a talaga diay proseso ket daytoy, bottom-up planning a kunada, nagapu mismo kanyayu, dakayo ti nangibaga ti products so awan ti rason a haan nga ag-success daytoy a project tayo. The goal now is in your hand,” PD Ramos said to the members of BTFA and TAFU.
“Develop products and expand”
As RD Lucas congratulated all partner agencies who contributed to the implementation of the project, including the provincial and local government unit, she expressed hope that the project will be sustained and be able to expand to preserve Chico River “kasi water is life.”
She added that though the project will end this December 2021, it is not the end of development, therefore calling stakeholders to cooperate and build loyalty to the project.
“Han yu a lalaengen dayta product yu ket ibaga tayo a nga isu ti the best. Starting small, ti kayat ko a figure a makita ditoy ket diay ripple, lumawlawa kuma ti development na, ngumatngatu tapnu in the end, han lang a dituy Taggay ti ayan na daytoy nga operation dagita produkto yu a well-packaged and very good,” the regional director concluded.
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