Rural groups benefit from provincial gov’t program

Engr. Maria Jonem Gacad, Rural Development Action Officer, reported during a meeting on March 16 on the accomplishments and projects on Livelihood and Enterprises Development with Gov. Ruth Raña Padilla, representatives from DOST, DOLE, DTI, NVSU, Landbank; and the PLGU office rural development members (PCAO, Pvet, OPAg, ENRO and PSWDO) attending the said meeting.

According to Engr. Gacad, 30 group beneficiaries had livelihood and entrepreneurial projects funded in 2013 and increased to 64 beneficiaries in 2014.

Through the initiative of the Governor, SN Aboitiz CSR had granted funds to 25 barangay women’s groups. Funds were also outsourced to beneficiaries on the Kabuhayan Program of DOLE where the Provincial Government is an accredited co-partner. Through the Credit Surety Fund, 9 cooperatives will be benefited. Some 206 families were also benefited from the “Idol kong Pamilya” livelihood assistance project; 5 rounds of F2C (farm to consumer) marketing were engaged in Quezon City.

For 2015, the Rural Development had funded 9 projects for individuals, elders, IPs, women’s group and PWDs from PSWDO; 2 forest-based projects (like softbrooms, baskets, furnitures, and the like) from ENRO; 22 entrepreneurial projects from PCAO; Pvet has 21 poultry and livestock projects; and OPAg with 6 crops and fisheries projects. Assessment from the Office of the Governor and endorsement to appropriate home office is recommended for sustainability and customer satisfaction.

Governor Padilla said that there should be strict monitoring on beneficiaries and background investigation to the groups being funded. There are instances that a certain beneficiary will ask another assistance other than the project previously identified. There are also tendencies that the funds provided will be doled-out.

The Governor said that a Business Plan is important so as to see if the livelihood project is earning or losing. The business plan helps beneficiaries have a proper implementation of the projects. The beneficiary association should also be registered with the COA. “There was resistance to this policy at first. But farmers later realized the importance of this regulation,” the Governor added.

The Landbank is introducing to the province an Agri & Fishery Financial Program, a loan for small farmers and fisherfolks. The DOST is offering a small enterprise technology upgrading, technology acquisition with zero interest in 3 years. The NVSU, through its research extension and business for development program, envisions Nueva Vizcaya as a “fruit bowl” in Luzon