The Marketing Assistance and Enterprise Development (MAED) Unit of the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Caraga conducted a three-day monitoring visit to community-based enterprises (CBEs) in Dinagat Islands from May 20 to 22, 2025.
The farmers associations monitored were Doña Helen Sewing Women’s Association (DOHSWA) and Bayanihan Makugihong Mag-uuma Mangingisda Asosasyon (BMMMA) in Libjo; Malinao Poultry Raisers Association (MAPORA) and Mabini Multipurpose Cooperative (MAMULCO) in Tubajon; and Pangie Farmers’ Association (PFA) and Justiniana Edera Livestock Growers Association (JELGA) in Dinagat. These groups received support through the Egg Production Projects.
The monitoring aims to check and confirm if the community-based enterprises have completed the needed documents for their recognition and official declaration as fully established CBEs. These include a fully accomplished Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), updated SAAD profiling, DOLE registration, bank account, business registration, Civil Society Organization (CSO) accreditation, financial statements (MAED Form 4), and production records (MAED Form 5).
MAED Unit Lead Niña Jane A. Villagonza explained that monitoring the targeted CBEs is very important. Besides checking if the required documents are complete, this process helps decide if an association can be declared fully established.
“Ang pag monitor sa mga CBEs para mahibalo-an kung nagpadayon pa ang operation sa pagpamaligya, progress sa ilahang enterprise kung naka focus lang ba gihapon sila sa gihatag nga project or naa na silay mga na venture nga laing enterprise gikan sa na-generate na income sa proyekto. Apil ang pagsusi sa financial asset kung pila ang nabilin na pondo, unsa ang mga estratehiya ginabuhat sa ilang enterprise operation para mapadayonon,” she added.
(The monitoring of the CBEs is conducted to determine whether their selling operations are still ongoing, to assess the progress of their enterprise, and to see if they are still focused on the provided project or if they have already ventured into other enterprises using the income generated from the project. It also includes reviewing their financial assets, the remaining available funds, and identifying the strategies they used in their enterprise operations to ensure sustainability.)
Villagonza also stressed that the monitoring serves as a reminder to the beneficiaries that SAAD is committed to supporting them, not just with technical help but also with marketing. It also prepares them for the time when the program ends, making sure they can continue to run and grow their enterprises with support from other SAAD partners.
One of SAAD’s main goals is to help farmers reduce poverty by giving them livelihood support and teaching them new skills through different training programs. SAAD also connects farmers to other DA programs and partners. This support will be an important part of their path to success.
