DSWD-Caraga targets
109,543 poor households for UCT validation
By Abegail R. Alvarez
BUTUAN
CITY, Mar. 21 - Around 105,517 poor households from Listahanan 2 Database will
undergo validation of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(DSWD)-Caraga through the National Household Targeting Unit or Listahanan.
This is in
connection with the implementation of Republic Act 10963 or otherwise known as
the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN). It is the first package
of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Agenda (CTRP) envisioned by Duterte’s
Administration, which seeks to correct a number of deficiencies in the tax
system to make it simpler, fairer, and more efficient.
With this,
the Congress mandated the department to implement the Unconditional Cash
Transfer (UCT) program.
The UCT is
a social mitigating measures to protect the disadvantaged, poor, and vulnerable
sector who will not benefit from the lower income taxes but will adversely
affected by the rising prices. The government will provide monthly cash grant
of Php200 in CY 2018 and Php300 in CY 2019-2020 for the existing 4.4 million
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program beneficiaries, 3 million existing Social
Pension beneficiaries, and 2.6 million poor households from Listahanan.
To ensure
that the households that will benefit from the program belong to the poorest 10
million in the country, the NHTS-PR shall provide the results of the Listahanan
2 as UCT’s basis for determining 2.6 million potential beneficiaries.
But the
poor households from Listahanan will undergo updating and validation to ensure
that those who will benefit the UCT program belong to the 1st to
7th income deciles.
In line
with this, the department hired 352 validators and 73 Administrative Aides who
will take part in the region-wide UCT validation which will start initially on
March this year. The additional workforce will be trained on the basic
procedure in accomplishing the Household Validation Form (HVF) and protocols in
updating and validating UCT beneficiaries.
The hired
field workers will locate the identified potential beneficiaries, verify
potential beneficiary information in the database, assess their current
socioeconomic status, and recommend a final list of beneficiaries for the UCT
program.
Prior the
deployment, the NHTU will conduct an orientation to LGUs. This will be attended
by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO) and Association
of Barangay Councils (ABC) President for them to be informed of the purpose of
UCT validation.
“We are
asking the Local Government Units (LGUs) to support the validators and AAs who
will be assigned in their respective areas. These field workers play a vital
role in the validation process and the updated list are also important since
they are the target beneficiaries for the UCT program,’’ says Assistant
Regional Director for Administration and Listahanan Deputy Regional Program
Manager Nerisa T. Murih.
Also, the
NHTU composed of Regional Field Coordinator, Regional Associate Statistician,
Regional Information Technology Officer, and Administrative Assistant will
serve as the Area Coordinating Team who shall oversee the validation period in
every province. (Social Marketing Unit/DSWD Field Office Caraga/PIA-Caraga)
Agusan Norte farmers train in organic fertilizer
product development
KITCHARAO, Agusan del Norte, Mar. 21 - Members of
the Jaliobong Masipag Farmers Organization Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries
Cooperative (JAMAFO) from Jaliobong, Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte recently underwent
a product development and enhancement training on organic fertilizer.
Organic fertilizer production and selling has
become one of the steady income generating projects of JAMAFO, an ARB
cooperative whose members are mostly vegetable and rice producers. Other than
being the primary users of the fertilizer made from bio raw materials found in
their farms, the coop also market their fertilizer to other farmers within the
locality and to the Kitcharao Municipal Agriculturist Office.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Agusan del
Norte Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) senior staff Jocelyn Ordonia
said the training will help the coop to enhance their product and align the
same to the Philippine National Standard (PNS)-BAFPS 40:2008 among organic
fertilizers which accordingly is a requirement if they plan to expand their
market.
Tapped as resource person was Oscar S. Tuyor,
Supervising Agriculturist of the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) of Agusan
del Norte.
DTI-ADN CARP provided the following basic tools for
fertilizer processing during the training that will serve as starter kit: 2
pcs. round point shovel; 1 pc. garden rake; 4 pcs. 4L plastic pail with handle;
4 pcs. plastic dipper; 2 pcs. bolo knife and jungle bolo; 5 pcs. rubber gloves,
cotton with rubber; 2 pcs. rain boots, rubber black, size 6”; and 2 pcs. rain
boots, rubber black, size 8”.
The initiative to assist this ARB cooperative came
from the collective commitment of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), DTI,
and the Provincial Agriculturist Office (PAO) who earlier analyzed and
discussed the needed intervention for the group which in this case is closing a
perceived market gap.
The training resulted to the Provincial Agrarian
Reform Office- Agusan del Norte (PARO-ADN) helping them in the establishment of
their processing center thru DAR's village-level farm-focused enterprise
development (VLFED) program.
DTI-Agusan del Norte CARP pledged to do the product
development activity including the packaging and labeling, while PAO-ADN
provided the technical know-how in processing fertilizer based on PNS-BAFPS
40:2008 requirement.
Actions for the market expansion of the enhanced
product will be a joint effort of DTI-ADN CARP and PAO-ADN. (DTI-Agusan del
Norte/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
DTI Agusan Sur equips SLP beneficiaries, former
OFWs on entrepreneurship

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur, Mar. 21 - The
Department of Trade and Industry here conducted recently a seminar on
Entrepreneurship to the 17 Sustainable Livelihood Porgram (SLP) beneficiaries
and former Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in the town of San Francisco.
“I am so thankful that I was invited to this
seminar as I know now what to do to make the business good,” Teresita Colarte,
a participant, gave this impression during the seminar.
Aldrin Abapo, counselor of Negosyo Center (NC) San
Francisco and facilitator of the seminar presented to the group the
characteristics of a successful entrepreneur, the concept of entrepreneurship
and the distinction between livelihood and enterprise.
In the following month, Abapo will start to monitor
their project and check what is needed to further improve their operation. (DTI-Agusan
del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
DTI to focus intervention on coconut farmers of
Anolingan to increase producers of geonet
PROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur, Mar. 21 - Twenty eight
(28) coconut farmers of Barangay Anolingan of Esperanza, this province, are
encouraged to regularly produce geonets and virgin coconut oil to earn
additional income aside from whole nut and copra.
They are also advised to display these products at
the Negosyo Centers (NC) in the province.
These farmers are members of Anolingan Coconut
Farmers Organization (ACFO), a recipient of weaving and twining equipment
facilities of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Just recently, an orientation on Entrepreneurship
and Gender Sensitivity was conducted. It was learned that the group has
supplied geonets made of coconut fiber to Kaagap Development Multi-Purpose
Cooperative (KaagapMuCO). ACFO produced geonet but they lack weavers and
twiners to increase their production.
They are advised to make strategies to increase the
number of processors in a form of commission based on the output of the members
so they will be continually motivated.
Aside from geonet, the group also tried to produce
virgin coconut oil (VCO) but needs further training to ensure quality output.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Agusan del Sur will sit with the PCA
to identify interventions for the group.
Beryl Calderon of the PCA commits to support the
group to strengthen its operation.
Jamaica Arenal, Marianne Corazon Togonon of DTI
Agusan del Sur and Charles Palen, NC counselor of Esperanza in partnership with
PCA and barangay captain Rolando Maestrado facilitated the activity. (DTI-Agusan del Sur/PIA-Agusan del Sur)
