Abuyog farmers:
We received more than what we expected from DAR
|
President
of the Canmarating, Odiongan, Pagsang-an, Sulpa Irrigators
Association (COPS-IA) President, Rodrigo Alumbro, delegates to
members of the organization the responsibilities in the
operation and maintenance of the farm machineries and equipment
received from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). |
By
JOSE ALSMITH L. SORIA
March 15, 2023
ABUYOG, Leyte –
After more than a month since they received several farm machineries
and equipment from Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella III
and Senator Imee Marcos during their recent visit to Eastern Visayas,
Rodrigo Alumbro, president of the Canmarating, Odiongan, Pagsang-an,
Sulpa Irrigators Association (COPS-IA) still cannot believe that
they got that much assistance from the Department of Agrarian Reform
(DAR).
Alumbro shared that they
received farm machineries and equipment more than what they had
expected. He added that aside from the farm machineries and
equipment that they received, they were also provided with grass
cutter which are of big help to them maintain their irrigation
canals.
After the more than half a
million worth of assistance were turned over to them by Estrella and
Marcos, Alumbro called a meeting with the officials of the COPS-IA
to discuss the operations and maintenance of the said farm
machineries under the guidance of DAR development facilitator
Percival Maballo.
According to Alumbro,
COPS-IA has 107 rice farmer members including 55 agrarian reform
beneficiaries (ARBs) tilling a combined area of 181 hectares of rice
fields.
Chief of the Program
Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD), Melecia Ong, disclosed
that COPS-IA, based in this town, is one of the two initial agrarian
reform beneficiaries organization (ARBO) recipients in Eastern
Visayas of package of support services, which include farm
machineries and equipment, under the Sustainable and Resilient
Agrarian Reform Communities (SuRe ARCs) program.
Ong further disclosed that
aside from these machines, COPS-IA will also be receiving soon a
hauling truck, which the ARBO can use in transporting their produce.
She explained that SuRe
ARCs program with ₱16-billion funding for its implementation
nationwide aims to improve the production in areas under major crops
and eventually have increased income both for the ARBO and the ARBs
by providing them the necessary assistance.
Ong stressed that this is
in support of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s food security
program. This is also in line with Estrella’s nine primary goals
which include farm mechanization and capacitating the ARBOs, she
added.
