DAVAO CITY – Some 1,000 cacao and coffee beans were planted recently by the Department of Agriculture in Davao City in southern Philippines during a ceremonial launch of the project that will benefit a local tribe.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte graced the ceremony held at the Indigenous Peoples Women’s Organic Village at Malamboon Elementary School in the village of Malabog as part of the agency’s Gender and Development Program.
More than 300 members of the Ata-Manobo tribe joined the program which was also attended by Undersecretary for Special Concerns Bernadette Puyat.
Puyat told the participants that the agency will continue to monitor the project in the area as well as provide interventions for the village to ensure the success of the program. “Babalik at babalik po kami para masigurado naming naimplemento natin yung mga proyekto,” Puyat said.
Duterte also pledged to allocate P10 million pesos for coffee plantation and production in the village of Malabog.
Bong Año, the regional coordinator for Gender and Development Program, also said that the event would jump-start several projects from the agriculture sector, including a plan for inland aquaculture and the establishment of demonstration farm in Malabog.
Tribe leader Datu Generoso Baon, who also benefited from the program, praised the agency for helping them and swore to take good care of the interventions given by the agriculture sector.
The IP Women Organic Village Project is a typical rural development initiative spearheaded by the agency to help raise the capacities of women in agriculture especially in far flung areas.
Under the project, women take the lead in the entire process of human and community development which includes cacao production.
The project also promotes an ecologically-sound and balance bio-diversified and integrated farming system with preference on organic cacao production, vegetable natural farming production, livestock production and in-land fish farming. (Mindanao Examiner)
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