CALABARZON, November 13, 2023 – Setting off for its beneficiary expansion in FY 2024, the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) CALABARZON oriented thirty (30) farmers from Municipality of Rizal, Laguna, with the main motive of getting the targeted beneficiaries familiarized with the Program’s mechanics and flow of service.

The activity held on September 7, 2023 was led by the Alternate Assistant Regional SAAD Focal Person, Mr. Wilmer S. Faylon together with the staff from the National Program Management Support Office (NPMO), Mr. Saturnino R. Palahang, Jr., Executive Assistant of the SAAD Program National Director, Information Technology and Database Development (IDD) Unit Head Mr. Randy Ocampo, and Mr. Jerech Flauta, IDD staff, as well as Regional Program Management Support Office (RPMSO), Municipal Agricultural Office (MAO), and representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Rizal.

During the orientation, Mr. Faylon emphasized that SAAD’s main area selection is based on Department of Finance data on municipalities belonging to the 5th-6th income class and top one-third poorest towns based on Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) Small Area Estimates (2018). Registered farmer groups will also be prioritized.

He also discussed the Program’s four (4) core components highlighting its significance and how it correlates to each other. The social preparation activities, which included the preliminary social analysis of the community through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), profiling, gathering individual farmers to form an association, and the conduct of capacity-building such as community organizing, values formation and leadership, and parliamentary and financial literacy, were pivotal to the overall success of program implementation. 

After explaining the fundamentals of PRA, he reiterated that the said social approach is essential since it will be the basis for crafting appropriate projects and interventions for the selected beneficiaries. 

“Kung ano po yung ma-identify na produkto o commodity during the social preparation, doon po namin kayo bibigyan ng technical trainings, doon po namin kayo bibigyan ng iba’t ibang kaalaman at tutulungan po namin kayo mula sa pagtatanim, pagbebenta at pagtatayo ng isang negosyo sa inyong komunidad,” Mr. Faylon said.

(Whatever product or commodity is identified during the social preparation, we will provide you with technical training, impart various knowledge, and assist you from cultivation, marketing, to establishing a business in your community,) 

SAAD CALABARZON field implementers assigned in the area also discussed the demographics and social status of the locals. Rizal is a 5th class municipality having a total population of 18,332 whose source of income is vegetable farming (per the PSA 2020 census).

Following this activity, in 2024, with the beneficiary expansion, three (3) farmer-groups with 120 members from barangays Laguna, Tala, and Pook are targeted for program inclusion. ###

Writer: Nicole C. Zarsuelo, SAAD CALABARZON Information Officer