ILOILO CITY, February 5, 2024 – Underscoring the program’s initiatives to help uplift its beneficiaries above the poverty line by providing them access to economic opportunities, the Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program, through its Marketing Assistance and Enterprise Development (MAED) Sub-Unit, commences the cascading of MAED Guidelines and set of activities geared towards the realization of helping its beneficiaries become community-based enterprises (CBEs).

The three-day activity kicked-off on January 31 which began with the capacitation of MAED staff on the technicalities of the guidelines. The contained terms, processes, and activities of the MAED component will subsequently serve as reference for CBE evaluation, validation, and assessment. 

In order to apply the tool in the field and acquire hands-on experience on the actual field study, the National Program Management Office (NPMO) and Regional Program Management Support Office (RPMSO), through the help of the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Bingawan, conducted an on-site market study with Sitio Maganhop Farmers Association (SOMAFA) to gather both the existing and potential markets surrounding the community, road networks access within the market area, and the possible product forms that can be made and traded out of the commodity provided.

Following the field activity, a workshop proper was initiated for market data processing and report generation using the provided templates as guide. Hence, a market map was created which identified outlets and channels of distribution within the municipality and the adjacent municipalities, such as Passi City, for SOMAFA’s produce on a periodic basis.

It studied the factors and indicators that affect the demand and profitability of the commodities and the existence of competitors within its market scope – factors critical in establishing projections on revenue and market situations.

When asked about the possible development of related forms after the pilot activity and market study, NPMO Focal assigned for Region 6, Mr. Gio Renzo Caballero shared, “Priority po natin sa ngayon is to accomplish the profitability assessment nung bawat FAs, kasi this will justify our multi-year plan to continuously provide livelihood support to the program beneficiaries until they transition into community-based enterprise.”

(Our main priority is to accomplish the profitability assessment forms of each FA, for this will justify our multi-year plan …)

“After po nung roll-out, ipro-process po namin lahat ng findings na na-gather. Ang target po namin ngayon is matapos ‘yung cascading ng MAED Guidelines sa lahat ng regions this first quarter” [After the roll-out, we will process all the findings that we have gathered. Our target is to finish the cascading of MAED Guidelines in all SAAD covered regions within this first quarter], MAED Sub-Unit Head Ms. Ashley Apigo added.

Guided by specific parameters and related forms appended as tools, the program can now begin to identify the level of CBE establishment of the micro-enterprises and measure the FAs’ performances. The cascading and pilot testing of the guidelines and tools are just one of the many initiatives of the program to standardize the whole MAED processes and make necessary development and adjustments, if so, in its related forms and on its policies to improve the overall program implementation.

The rollout activity in the region which concluded on January 1, 2024, was spearheaded by the NPMO MAED Sub-Unit Head Ms. Apigo, Region 6 Focal Mr. Caballero, and IT and Database Development (IDD) Unit Head Mr. Randy Ocampo, in coordination with SAAD Western Visayas team headed by Ms. Charmae Antipatia alongside Ms. Sheryl Mae Gaylan, MAED Staff Ivy F. Italia and AMAD Representative Fritz Joy Bretana. ###

Writer: Cedie C. Bataga, SAAD Western Visayas Information Officer
Photos by: Denmark Prayco, SAAD Western Visayas IDD Officer

Reference:
Special Area for Agricultural Development Program. (2023). SAAD Phase 2 Marketing and Enterprise Development (MAED) Component Guidelines. Department of Agriculture: Elliptical Road, Diliman 1100, Quezon City