ROXAS City – Gloria Juayang from Barangay Aningalan in San Remigio, Antique attests to how various support programs from the government could change one’s living conditions.
Before having her own business, Juayang, a mother of six, shared she was once a Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiary of the Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) and was granted assistance through its Sustainable Livelihood Program.
According to her, more interventions poured in as she started her business venture in food processing.
She mostly sells different types of herbal tea and chips, such as turmeric tea, ginger tea, taro chips, and banana chips, among others.
“After receiving help from the DSWD, I was adopted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for training and the Kapatid Mentor ME (KMME) program. Then I was referred to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for product improvement through its Packaging and Labeling Assistance program. The Department of Agriculture (DA) also sent us to tour different parts of the country so we could see other products and apply [our learnings] on our own,” Juayang said in Kinaray-a.
She recently joined the Agribusiness Support for Promotion and Investment in Rural Enterprises (ASPIRE) of the DA in Roxas City.
DA Western Visayas- Agribusiness Marketing and Assistance Division and the Capiz provincial government partnered in promoting fresh produce and priority commodities in the region by supporting agri-based products from the local Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) through its ASPIRE program recently.
The DA said that for five days, ASPIRE served as a venue for business-matching networking and linkages among local agri-entrepreneurs that support services for farmers, fisherfolks, MSMEs, and other stakeholders.
DA Regional Director Dennis R. Arpia emphasized during the opening program that while marketing service is the last part of the production cycle, it is still important.
Arpia also stated DA’s commitment to helping the local government of Capiz by having an open understanding of catering to the needs of the communities.
For his part, Gov. Fredenil Castro said it is right to give importance to the farmers on land and water.
“In the Philippines and other parts of the world, we will die without them. We owe them not only the food in our stomachs, but the very life of our people and the life of the country,” noted Castro. (Philippine Information Agency)
