LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte (PIA) — In celebration of the 4th Marunggay (Moringa) Festival, the city government of Laoag, through its agriculture, tourism, and social welfare and development offices, spearheaded a skills training for 75 women aimed to share some innovative moringa-infused recipes that can be used for livelihood, on June 21.
Trainers from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) demonstrated how to make moringa tartlets and cookies.
Participants from the Federated Laoag City Rural Improvement Club (FELARIC) and the Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipinas (KALIPI) women’s organization then applied their learnings in baking their own batch of products.
Emily Ragasa, the president of the FELARIC, said she was inspired to experiment with more recipes using moringa because of the training.
“The training was insightful with the two recipes we learned and how we can incorporate moringa in different products and deserts, and not just as an ingredient for savory dishes. I think incorporating moringa in other deserts can also help encourage more children to eat their vegetables,” she said.
Together with other officers of the FELARIC, Ragasa said they will re-demonstrate how to bake the same recipes to the barangay level RICs so they can use it for their livelihood.
“This is my third time joining this skills training for moringa products, and every year, I am grateful to the city government, especially to the city agriculture office and CSWDO (City Social Welfare and Development Office) for giving us more inspiration on how we can innovate and develop moringa products,” Ragasa said.
Moreover, Jenny Rasalan, a resident of Barangay 44 Zamboanga, also expressed her gratitude to the city government and TESDA for the new recipes she learned.
“Apart from my family, I will also share these moringa recipes with other people in my community, because it is a good source of nutrition and antioxidants in the body. That is why, these are good recipes to use to add to our livelihood, especially with the support of the CSWDO,” she said.
According to Perlita Cabello, the CSWDO is prepared to give various assistance to women’s organizations in the city who want to adopt these recipes for their livelihood.
“We can give them capital assistance or give them business starter kits, tools, and other utensils so they can start or maintain their small businesses,” she said.
Laoag City celebrates the festival to showcase locally made moringa products and to promote the health benefits of the vegetable which is abundant in the city. (MJTAB/EJFG PIA Region 1-Ilocos Norte)
