Quezon City, December 19, 2022 – The Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources – Special Area for Agricultural Development (BFAR-SAAD) Program renews partnerships with some SAAD Phase 1-covered areas’ local government units (LGUs), as well as establish new partnerships with Phase 2 LGUs, through a series of orientations to introduce new SAAD guidelines for the 2023-2028 implementation, two (2) years after the program exited the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) for the fisheries sector.

Various Sangguniang Bayan Councilors for Agriculture, Municipal Agriculturists, and Agriculture Technicians from 31 LGUs were present at the activity, along with representatives from the Provincial Government of Abra, Benguet, Apayao, and Ifugao, and the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Table 1. Schedule of BFAR-SAAD Phase 2 Orientation in CAR

Led by Regional Director Lilibeth L. Signey, new criteria for beneficiary selection was presented which will be the (1) top third municipalities with highest poverty incidence rate among families based on the Philippine Statistic Authority data in 2018, and (2) 5th to 6th income class municipalities. The remaining municipalities in Mountain Province and Kalinga will be participating in the next sessions of the orientation program in January 2023.

SAAD Phase 1 covered only the provinces of Apayao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province. With the extension  and expansion, SAAD Phase 2 will now be present in 6 provinces, covering 38 municipalities with 17,106 registered fisherfolks in the region. These include 25 municipalities in Abra, 6 municipalities in Mountain Province, 2 municipalities in Apayao, 2 municipalities in Benguet, 2 municipalities in Ifugao, and 1 municipality in Kalinga.

The LGUs are tasked to assist in choosing the fisherfolks who will have access to the program’s services. They will also help SAAD staff in profiling the fisherfolk groups that are either currently existing or will be established in the future, including their municipal fisheries profile. Moreover, the LGUs will provide assistance in terms of site validation, social preparation, and other activities with the SAAD staff such as monitoring and report submission.

To fasten collaboration, the roles and responsibilities of the LGUs will be written through Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) which is currently being prepared. The partnership agreement between the two parties aims to realize the goal of the SAAD Program which is to contribute to poverty reduction by providing agricultural and fishery interventions. ###

Writer: Marie Francine Ciasico, DA-SAAD NPMO Information Officer

Source: Michelle Peralta, BFAR-SAAD CAR Focal Person

Photos: BFAR-CAR Facebook Page