NAGA CITY, Camarines Sur (PIA) – The local government of Bombon and its residents expressed gratitude to the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI) for the construction of a Food Processing and Training Facility at the Shell Training Farm Bombon at San Antonio, Bombon, Camarines Sur.
Emiliana Volante, a 56-year-old banana chips producer and president of the Siembre Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organization (SARBO), stated that access to the facility would enhance their production and increase opportunities for their products to reach a wider market.
“Isa sa maitutulong nito ay mas mapa-enhance pa namin ang banana chips production. Sa ngayon, nagpla-plano kami na dagdagan yung aming banana chips ng veggie chips. Seguro, isa ito sa magiging daan para mas madagdagan ang kaalaman naming sa paggawa ng mga ganitong produkto.” (This will help enhance our bananchips production. For now, we plan to produce veggie chips. Perhaps, this is one way to increase our knowledge in producing this kind of products.)
Barangay Siembre Councilor Angelina Benitez, who also chairs the Committee on Culture and Tourism Arts, expressed gratitude for the PSFI’s charitable project. She noted that the new facility will provide livelihood opportunities for families and enhance the value of their locally grown products.
Benitez added that Bombon constituents were happy with the construction of Pilipinas Shell Training Farm in their place.
“Digde po sa mga communities, sa banwaan kan Bombon, dakulang benepisyo po ini dahil magkakaigwa sinda nin trabaho. Dakula pong katabangan ang proyektong ini sa hanapbuhay ninda,” Benitez said in vernacular.
(The Bombon communities are grateful for the benefits this project will give them, especially the opportunity to have a source of livelihood. This project indeed is a great help.)
Benitez represented Mayor Ma. Luisa DC Angeles in the event.
PFSI Senior Program Manager Maria Pamela Castro, the project proponent said the launching and turnover of the new Food Processing and Training Facility at the Shell Training Farm Bombon at San Antonio, Bombon, Camarines Sur on October 8, under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) from the government of Japan is a dream come true for PFSI.
“The Embassy of Japan plays a potential role in the farming and grassroots community. That is why we approved the project in providing the fund amounting to 62,248 US dollars to PSFI,” Embassy of Japan Second Secretary Tokiko Nishimura said during the turnover ceremony.
The facility was funded by the Japanese government to help farmers enhance their knowledge and skills in agri-business, especially in food processing.
Castro recalled that the project began in 2018 as a dream. They submitted the proposal to the Embassy of Japan to benefit farming households in Camarines Sur and nearby provinces.
“This is an important milestone because we are privileged to be a recipient of this grant as we’re seeing it as a step towards progress and a landmark moment that we have finally been waiting for,” Castro added.
As an implementer of various programs that always aim for excellence, PFSI Executive Director Sebastian Quinones, Jr., underscored the importance of the Food Processing and Training Facility owned by the whole community.
“We are here to serve all our beneficiaries in Bicol – the cooperatives that are here, the individual entrepreneurs that have been a beneficiary of our facilities. So, we’re really using this training facility as a way that we can pay back to our country,” Quinones stressed.
PSFI has collaborated with government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture (DA), the DA-Agricultural Training Institute (AIT), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), which have been providing strong support for their programs.
PSFI expressed gratitude to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for their technical assistance in designing the building. DOST provided the technical design for a food processing facility.
The turnover ceremony was attended by former Vice President Leni Robredo, who expressed gratitude to PSFI and the Embassy of Japan for their partnership and the dedication shown by the former in ensuring the effective implementation of their programs.
Quinones expressed his sincere gratitude to the government partner agencies for their continuous support, especially to the Embassy of Japan for their great gift to the country.
“As we say with Pilipinas Shell Foundation, “Sama-samang pagtulong, sabay-sabay na pagsulong,” or in English, “Helping each other, moving forward together.” Let’s do that for our country,” Quinones concluded. (LSM, PIA 5)
