(JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA)
TACLOBAN CITY – For the second time in two consecutive years, the 78th Infantry “Warrior” Battalion, based in Borongan City was recognized by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as among the top institutional markets of products of agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs) in the country.
The 78IB entered into a marketing agreement with the San Gabriel Integrated Farmers Association (SAGIFA). Under the said agreement, the SAGIFA will serve as 78IB’s supplier of agricultural products for the daily food requirements of military personnel.
In 2023, the 78IB’s purchases with SAGIFA reached P310,090 making them the top institutional buyer among the Philippine Army of ARBOs’ products under the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP) project.
PAHP is a government initiative to promote food security, lessen poverty and mitigate hunger by 2030. It is a joint effort of various government agencies which include the Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Nutrition Council (NNC), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of Education DepEd) and local government units (LGUs) who will serve as institutional markets for ARBO products.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Bugaoan, 78IB acting commanding officer, received the award from DAR Undersecretary for Support Services, Rowena Niña Taduran, during the awarding rites held at Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City on June 27 this year.
On the same occasion, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) in Eastern Visayas was likewise recognized as second highest purchaser among NNCs nationwide in 2023 with a combined purchases from two ARBOs in Leyte reaching P2.3 million.
NNC Eastern Visayas engaged with Tagbawto-Hilusig Communal Irrigators Association in Hilongos, Leyte and the Omaganhan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Tabango, Leyte for NNC’s Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program.
Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, DAR Regional Director in Eastern Visayas, expressed his gratitude to the 78IB, NNC and all institutional buyers for engaging with the ARBOs serving as stable markets for their products.
Meanwhile, the DAR Leyte-Biliran and the DAR Eastern Samar provincial offices were also recognized for their invaluable contribution in the empowerment and improvement of the socio-economic welfare of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) involved in the implementation of the PAHP project in 2023.
Roberto Cajipe, Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (ARPO II) and PAHP point person in Leyte, and Jocyne Nizza Palacio, ARPO I and PAHP point person in Eastern Samar were likewise recognized for their remarkable efforts in assisting the ARBOs sustain the supply of food requirements of the NNC Eastern Visayas and the 78IB, respectively, in 2023.
Further, Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer (CARPO) Celso Cidro of DAR Eastern Samar was also recognized as outstanding provincial chief of the Program Beneficiaries Development (PBD) Division in the implementation of the PAHP project last year.
(JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA/PR)
