BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office Cordillera and other government agencies and local government units (LGUs) undertook a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) recently in Baguio City to enhance the provision of social protection activities to El Nino vulnerable communities in the Cordillera, with the DA to provide beneficiaries with training regarding the adaptation and mitigation impacts of climate change and reduction of disaster risk.
The memorandum of agreement aims to strengthen the Risk Resiliency Program and Project LAWA at BINHI through DSWDs Risk Resiliency Program Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Disaster Risk Reduction (RRP CAM DRR).
Project LAWA at BINHI aims to strengthen the adaptive capabilities of poor and vulnerable families during periods of severe drought, ultimately mitigating the impact of food insecurity and water scarcity brought about by the Climate Change.
Atty. Jennilyn Dawayan, DA-CAR Regional Executive Director expressed her gratitude to the DSWD for consistently involving the agriculture department in Project LAWA at BINHI, benefiting the agency’s shared and common stakeholders and guarantee food production and security especially for the region’s most vulnerable communities.
“This project is very important because this will benefit all the provinces in CAR that are here with us today which is why we continue and commit to support in whatever way possible through trainings to be provided by the DAs Agricultural Training Institute which is part of the Regional Management Committee which I lead,” Dawayan said.
One of DSWDs program, RRP CAM DRR, strives to improve the adaptive capacities of vulnerable communities. This is implemented through the Cash-for-Work modality composed of three stages with stage 1 and 3 providing a three and two day training respectively to be handled by the DA, while stage 2 provides for a 15 to 20 day temporary employment handled by the DSWD.
Under Project LAWA at BINHI, all agencies are tasked to strengthen social protection services particularly on food security, water sufficiency and community engagement.
DSWD will provide a 20-day cash for training and work for poor farmers, fisherfolks, Indigenous Peoples, and disaster-vulnerable families for learning and development sessions and temporary employment involving water efficiency and food security under the said project.
“The initiative, in conjunction with DOLE through TUPAD, is highly appropriate as it enhances DAs operations. We received our ISO certification for Quality Management Standards in December last year. Resilience is one of our key values, and our DRM unit and the DSWD program are the two main channels through which our resilience program cascades,” Director Dawayan stated.
In times of need, the DA can access funds from the PhP1 billion DRM funds that are lodged to the department, which is separate from the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) funds lodged in the Office of the President. Implementation and use of the DRRM funds of the DA is done through the assistance of the Office of the Civil Defense.
Director Dawayan is also looking at the including the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Cordillera (BFAR-CAR) that will supplement the sustainability of aquaponics under project LAWA at BINHI.
DSWD-CAR OIC Regional Director and Assistant Regional Director for Operations Enrique Gascon Jr. recognized the role of DA-CAR which continues to support their department’s program for social protection.
“We acknowledge the continuing support that DA-CAR provides specially on trainings for our shared stakeholders. The trainings that they provide to our beneficiaries ensures sustainability of Project LAWA at BINHI while empowering the community by being resilient,” Gascon said. By JTLlanes