The Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program in Northern Mindanao successfully conducted a four-day cascading and pilot onsite validation of the Food Production and Livelihood (FPL) guidelines and templates in Catarman, Camiguin from April 27 to 30, 2026.
The activity was designed to ensure the effective implementation and harmonization of the FPL guidelines and templates across all SAAD operating units in the region.
“The FPL rollout emphasized the roles of the RPMSO (Regional Program Management Support Office) and PPMSO (Provincial Program Management Support Office) sa paggamit ng mga FPL template together with the activities and strategies na nakapaloob sa FPL guidelines natin,” explained FPL Sub-unit Lead Engr. Meljun A. Florece.
[The FPL rollout emphasized the roles of the RPMSO and PPMSO in using the FPL templates together with the activities and strategies included in our FPL guidelines.]
Aside from introducing the updated templates and procedures, the activity also served as a venue for validating and refining the guidelines through discussions and actual field application. Organizers said the rollout was designed not only to improve production monitoring but also to strengthen data gathering among farmers’ associations under the program.
Sherafin Simon Calacar, Head of the SAAD Region 10 Operational Planning, Budget, Monitoring, and Evaluation (OPBME) Unit, highlighted the importance of accurate data collection in improving program implementation.
“It is timely nga kini nga rollout sa atong forms sa FPL because wala ta nag focus not only on production but also on data collection, especially on our association. It is a nice training para pud makuha nato ang ilahang mga actual nga mga output and receivables from the SAAD Program,” Calacar said.
[The rollout is timely because we are not only focusing on production but also on data collection on our association. It is a nice training that can help obtain the actual outputs and receivables of the farmers’ associations from the SAAD Program.]
FPL Rollout in Catarman, Camiguin
During the rollout activity, participants, all of SAAD RPPMSO and PPMSO personnel, were presented with key components of the FPL program, including the comprehensive FPL guidelines, the livelihood viability assessment tools, relevant annexes, and the FPL roll-out briefer.
A day was also dedicated to on-site evaluation at the Tangaro Young Farmers’ Association (TYFA), a farmers’ association under the SAAD Program in Barangay Tangaro, Catarman town. The field validation involved direct assessment of the actual implementation environment, stakeholder engagement, and collection of real-time data to verify the applicability and practicality of the FPL guidelines in the local context.
“During our FPL rollout in Catarman, during our field validation, napakaganda na very committed and very responsible yung ating farmers’ association doon. So kitang-kita talaga yung pag-aalaga ng mga binigay natin na mga interventions sa kanila. From the scratch until now, kitang-kita natin yung improvement ng beneficiaries doon. So napakagandang tingnan na success yung ating implementation sa Tangaro Young Farmers’ Association,” said Florece.
[During the FPL rollout in Catarman, during our field validation, we saw how the farmers’ association was very committed and very responsible in taking care of the interventions provided to them. From scratch until now, we can clearly see the improvement of the beneficiaries. It is nice to see that the implementation of the Tangaro Young Farmers’ Association has been successful.]
Following the onsite validation, the SAAD regional and provincial personnel engaged in post-rollout discussions, focusing on data analysis, processing, and the presentation of accomplished reports. These discussions provided valuable insights into the challenges, opportunities, and adjustments needed to optimize the rollout of the FPL activities across the region. ###
