TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Eastern Visayas is now waiting for the downloading of funds after it has submitted more than a hundred livelihood proposals from agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) throughout the region for funding under the Convergence on Livelihood Assistance for ARBs Project (CLAAP).
DAR Regional Director Sheila Enciso disclosed that a total of 55.450 million pesos is needed to finance the 102 various livelihood or micro-enterprise proposals to be benefited by no less than 2,218 ARBs, smallholder farmers and farmworkers from the six provinces of Eastern Visayas.
Once the requested fund is downloaded from the Central Project Monitoring Unit, the DAR provincial offices can start with the procurement process and, at the same time, conduct the identified appropriate capacity development trainings specified in the respective project proposals, she added.
Enciso explained that the fund will be taken from the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD’s) Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) wherein one billion pesos has been allocated for the successful implementation of the CLAAP.
Early in 2018, the two government agencies entered a partnership agreement to provide livelihood assistance to ARBs through ARB organizations (ARBO) by clustering them with members of the Pantawid Pamilya recipients of the DSWD who have not availed yet of any assistance under the SLP.
Each cluster member, Enciso clarified, will be provided with a seed capital of 15,000 pesos to start a micro-enterprise based on the submitted livelihood proposal by their cluster. A separate 10,000 pesos will be provided for the capacity development trainings to prepare the recipients in their livelihood venture.
This project is expected to improve household income of the farmers particularly the ARBs by expanding and increasing their access to economic opportunities.
Meanwhile, Assistant Regional Director for Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program, Ismael Aya-ay, further disclosed that among the micro-enterprises the 102 clusters would like to engage in are: hog raising, swine production, broiler and layer poultry production, fertilizers and pesticides trading, and rice trading.
He also shared that of the 2,218 who signified interest to avail of the said government assistance, 1,371 ARBO members and Pantawid Pamilya recipients divided into 63 clusters are from Leyte.
While 248 ARBO members and Pantawid Pamilya recipients divided into eight clusters are from Biliran; 135 ARBO members and Pantawid Pamilya recipients divided into eight clusters are from Southern Leyte; 139 ARBO members and Pantawid Pamilya recipients divided into seven clusters are from Eastern Samar; 195 ARBO members and Pantawid Pamilya recipients divided into 10 clusters are from Northern Samar; and 130 ARBO members and Pantawid Pamilya recipients divided into six clusters are from Western Samar. (DAR REGION 8, Public Assistance and Media Relations Service
Department of Agrarian Reform) ###
