DA kick-starts barangay-based initiative for sustainable peace, agri dev’t

Following the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to boost local food production, the Department of Agriculture (DA) formally launched the Joint Operations Harmonization and Networking for Barangay Promotion Cum Outreach Program last November 28.

Led by the Project Management Office (PMO) of the DA Inspectorate and Enforcement (IE) in partnership with the Knights of Columbus, the program lives up to the mandate of the agriculture department as chair of the Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster (PRLEC).

By virtue of Executive Order No. 70, series of 2018, the initiative aims to achieve agricultural development, improve agri-fishery-based livelihoods, and attain food security towards inclusive and viable peace through a whole-of-nation approach. The project also takes into consideration the need for environmental protection and sustainable development in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA).

The Joint Operations Harmonization and Networking for Barangay Promotion Cum Outreach Program was first introduced at Barangay Manobisa in Magpet, North Cotabato, where residents engaged in agriculture and fisheries received banana planting materials, hybrid corn seeds, and inorganic fertilizer from the DA Regional Field Office (RFO) XII.

Other government programs like the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced workers (TUPAD) of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-CLIP) of the Task Force Balik-Loob, and the distribution of the Certificate of Land Ownership Award (CLOA) by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) were also showcased during the launch.

Present during the event were DA-IE Special Investigator IV and PRLEC Head Secretariat Aldrin Baldonado, DA RFO XII OIC-Regional Executive Director Dr. John Pascual, Barangay Manobisa Captain Roque Odag, Magpet Mayor Jay Laurence Gonzaga, Magpet Municipal Agriculturist Henry Supena, Knights of Columbus Mindanao Jurisdiction SK Rogelio Tadura, members of the 72nd Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army, and PRLEC representatives. ### (photo courtesy of DA 12 -RAFIS)