The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (SAAD) Program CALABARZON conducted its annual beneficiary profile updating in the provinces of Batangas and Laguna as part of its continuing efforts to strengthen program monitoring and evaluation for 2026.
The activity ensured that beneficiary records remain accurate and up to date, allowing the program to conduct a more comprehensive assessment of the effectiveness of its agricultural interventions. The newly collected data will be compared with last year’s records, which serve as the baseline for analysis. This practice promotes data accuracy and consistency while minimizing discrepancies in beneficiary information.
Enhancements to the updating process were introduced following discussions during the 2025 Information Technology and Database Development Annual Assessment. Under the improved framework, the system can now track beneficiaries’ monthly gross income from both agricultural and non-agricultural sources, as well as their net income from agricultural activities, including income derived from SAAD-supported interventions.
These refinements are expected to generate more reliable data and provide a clearer picture of the program’s socio-economic impact. The information gathered will help guide improvements in program implementation and guarantee that future interventions respond more effectively to the evolving needs of beneficiaries.
Led by the Information Technology and Database Development Unit, the activity was conducted last February 9 to 13 and covered 16 farmers’ associations (FAs) across the region. Saturnino Palahang Jr., Executive Assistant to the Director and Statistician of the SAAD National Program Management Office (NPMO), supervised and assisted in the profile updating in Tingloy, Batangas, together with Arnel Parlonga, Information System Analyst II.
The initiative covered 10 FAs in Tingloy, and six FAs in Rizal and Pakil, Laguna. These associations have received various program interventions and are engaged in goat, native chicken, and swine production, as well as vegetable cultivation.
Throughout 2025, beneficiaries encountered several challenges, including calamities and pest infestations that significantly affected their agricultural income. Jayson Abuel, a member of the Saray Maliliit Farmers Association, shared his experience:
“Marami pong nasirang mga pananim sa aming pinagtataniman dahil sa mga nagdaang bagyo. Naging panarili na lang din po yung iba po naming pananim na naani, yung iba naman po ay naibenta, pero kakaunti lamang po ang aming kinita. Lugi pa nga po eh. Ngayon lang din pong taon kami makakapagtanim ng mga pananim galing pong SAAD dahil nga po sa sama ng panahon.”
[Many of the crops in our farming area were damaged due to the recent typhoons. Some of what we harvested was only for our own consumption, while others were sold, but the income we earned was minimal. In fact, we even incurred losses. It is only this year that we are able to plant crops provided by the SAAD Program because of the unfavorable weather conditions in the past.]
Despite these setbacks, beneficiaries remain hopeful and continue to look forward to additional interventions and capacity-building activities under the program.
Meanwhile, five farmers’ associations in Perez are scheduled to undergo the same profile updating activity from February 24 to 27, 2026, as part of SAAD CALABARZON’s ongoing commitment to evidence-based planning and inclusive agricultural development. ###
