TABUK CITY, Kalinga – The YTabuk Agri-Growers Association bested contenders from 16 regions of the Philippines to emerge as the national winner in the Kabuhayan Awards 2022 of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Meanwhile, Clarita Lapitan bagged the top prize in the individual category (regional level) for her successful red egg livelihood project.
The Kabuhayan Awards is an incentive program of the labor department to recognize successful beneficiaries, partners, and implementers of the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program (DILP).
The YTabuk Agri-growers Association and Ms. Lapitan received plaques of recognition and a cash prize of Php 200,000 and Php 60,000, respectively, in the awarding ceremony on May 27, 2022 held in Manila and led by no less than Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III.
In an interview, YTabuk Agri-Growers Association president Alma Mae Bangelan-Cruz could not help but become emotional over the award, which she said their organization “had to go through the eye of a needle” to win.
From a livelihood project with a mere Php 5,000 capital in 2019, the YTabuk Agri-growers Association overcame the daunting challenges of the pandemic to become a successful mushroom production and processing business that is now supplying clients to as far as Batangas and Mandaue.
For this, Bangelan-Cruz is grateful to DOLE-Kalinga led by provincial director Aveline Manganip for supporting them through the DILP, under which their group had received around Php 600,000 worth of assistance in the form of equipment and trainings, which helped them get their business off the ground.
Meanwhile, Lapitan is grateful to have a steady income after being displaced by the road-right-of-way clearing a few years back. Through the DILP, she was able to avail of Php 20,000 assistance to launch her red egg livelihood project.
The winners were also thankful to the city government’s Public Employment Service Office (PESO) for its technical assistance.
PESO-Tabuk manager Loyda Saboy said YTabuk Agri-growers Association and Ms. Lapitan were very much deserving of their accolade, which is not only the fruit of the team effort of different government agencies, but also borne of personal hard work and determination.
Saboy said the PESO and the city government always welcomes enterprising individuals and groups in need of support with its various livelihood assistance programs.
Saboy was also recognized in the Kabuhayan Awards 2022 for her “invaluable support and contribution as DOLE’s partner in the implementation of the DILP”.
To know more about the inspiring story of YTabuk Agri-Growers Association and Ms. Lapitan, and learn more about the DILP, catch their full interview on the Wednesday episode (June 1, 2022) of Magandang Tanghali Mayor program at 12:00-1:00 PM to be aired over 103.7 Radyo Natin-Tabuk City and this page.
