The Department of Labor and Employment recently turned over the Integrated Food Processing for coffee, banana, and sweet potato to the Tongo Integrated Farmers Association (TIFA) of Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental.
TIFA, led by president Roy Gonzales, and the Brgy. Cabadiangan Council, welcomed the DOLE representatives during the turnover ceremony in Sitio Tongo recently.
The value-adding machinery, including a coffee roaster and thresher, and worth P1,000,000, came from the Assisted Livelihood Project under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP-Kabuhayan).
A total of 51 farmer-members of TIFA are expected to benefit from this project, the city said in a press release Feb. 12.
DILP-Kabuhayan provides assistance, through grants, to individuals and groups and can be used to start a livelihood project, expand or upgrade an existing project, restore or re-establish existing livelihood projects destroyed by natural or human-made disasters, or transform existing livelihood assistance to community/group enterprises.
Mayor Raymund Tongson was represented by executive assistants Clen Retiro and Emmanuel Castro, and special projects consultant Analee Degoma during the turnover program that was also attended by Vice Mayor Justin Gatuslao, and councilors Aly Tongson Jr. and Janet Villafranca.
“We are deeply grateful to DOLE representatives Carmella Abellar, Rosalie Guilaran, and Elmer Guimay for facilitating this turnover, together with our partners from the Department of Trade and Industry,” Tongson said.
He added that the turnover of the project is just one of the collaborations of the city government with various government agencies, non-profit groups, and institutions to deliver financial and technical support to farmers, fisherfolk, and local producers of Himamaylan. ||
