ALTAVAS, Aklan – DA-PHilMech recently held a groundbreaking ceremony under the Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Plan-Shared Processing Facilities (CFIDP-SPF) at Brgy. Man-up, Altavas, Aklan.
Man-up Multi-Purpose Cooperative was granted a VCO-Based Cooking Oil Processing Center. The facility will help coconut farmers of Aklan in producing high-quality VCO-based cooking oil with their own coconut harvests.
“This is really a dream come true for all members of Man-up MPC… Asahan po ninyo, hindi po namin kayo bibiguin. We will try to live up to your expectations. With God guiding us, tinatanggap namin ang challenge ng lahat ng speaker, hindi po namin kayo bibiguin,” said Nita Payba, BOD Chairperson of Man-up Multi-Purpose Cooperative.
After the groundbreaking activity, a program and a signing of the pledge of commitment were accomplished by the coconut farmers, local government units, and other implementing agencies present during the ceremony.
“Projects like this, shared by different government agencies, should be able to reach their goal… We are ready to give our commitment for that particular project would be able to reach its goal, would be able to generate the purpose for what it is intended to be.” pledged Emmanuel Soviet Russian Dela Cruz, Assistant Provincial Agriculturist of Aklan.
Roy Peralta, the representative of Philippine Coconut Authority Administrator Bernie Cruz, gave an overview of the program under CFIDP.
Senate Chair of the Committee on Food and Agriculture, Senator Cynthia A. Villar, shared her message through a video presentation.
DA-PHilMech Interim Head of the Coconut Trust Fund Facility Management and Field Operations Division (CTF-FMFOD), Dr. Andres M. Tuates, Jr. also presented the provisions of the fund on behalf of the agency’s Director IV, Dr. Dionisio G. Alvindia.
DA-PHilMech, as the leading implementing Agency, and Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), will spearhead the implementation of convergence activities for CFIDP-SPF, together with other implementing agencies to ensure the improvement of coconut farming and product processing in the country.
This is the first groundbreaking ceremony under the CFIDP-SPF in the region, bringing the total groundbreaking ceremonies to two nationwide. The first groundbreaking was held in Tagkawayan, Quezon back in April 2023. By DA-PHilMech
