The National Anti-Poverty Commission and the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) have turned over P1.5 million to Calbayog City for the implementation of the Poverty Reduction Through Rural Development (PRRD) prototype project aimed at uplifting the lives of fisherfolk in the area.
The amount represents half of the P3-million commitment of PAGCOR for the Integrated Community- Based Agricultural Production and Processing Facility. The total project cost includes P500,000 for the construction of physical infrastructure and procurement of equipment, P1 million for hauling support and vehicle provision, and P1.5 million capital infusion for livelihood projects. After a year of operations, the whole project shall be turned over to the communities through the local government unit (LGU).
Calbayog City is among the seven priority areas for PRRD prototype project implementation under the PAGCOR-NAPC grant. The others are Majayjay, Laguna; Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya; Cebu City; Talipao, Sulu; Valladolid, Negros Occidental; and Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte.
The undertaking falls under the NAPC’s Sambayanihan: Serbisyong Sambayanan, a five-year guiding framework that encapsulates the government’s current thrust and direction to overcome poverty. NAPC Secretary and Lead Convenor Noel K. Felongco and Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino signed a Memorandum of Agreement last year for the LGU’s adoption of Sambayanihan as its anti-poverty program.
“We hope that this project, through the city government of Calbayog, will help the beneficiaries face the challenges brought about by the pandemic. What is needed now is the unity and cooperation of all stakeholders in order to uplift the lives of the people, especially those at the grassroots level,” said Felongco.
The core principles of Sambayanihan are premised on developing rural and urban agriculture and industry as the most important preconditions for overcoming poverty. Through Sambayanihan, the NAPC is working towards the achievement of the administration’s target to bring down poverty incidence to 14% by 2022 from 21.6 percent in 2015.
To fully realize the program which spans from 2019 to 2023, the NAPC continues to tap its various stakeholders such as the concerned national government agencies, LGUs, the private sector, civic groups, people’s organizations, and the basic sectors existing in localities which are the recipients of the program.
