TACLOBAN CITY – For the second consecutive year, the 78th Infantry “Warrior” Battalion, based in Borongan City, Eastern Samar, has been recognized by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) as one of the top institutional buyers of products from agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) nationwide.
The 78IB entered a marketing agreement with the San Gabriel Integrated Farmers Association (SAGIFA). Under this agreement, SAGIFA serves as the supplier of agricultural products to meet the daily food requirements of military personnel.
In 2023, the 78IB’s purchases from SAGIFA reached ₱310,090.00, making it the top institutional buyer among Philippine Army units of ARBO products under the Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (PAHP) project.
PAHP is a government initiative aimed at promoting food security, reducing poverty, and alleviating hunger by 2030. It is a joint effort involving various government agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), National Nutrition Council (NNC), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Department of Education (DepEd), and local government units (LGUs) that act as institutional markets for ARBO products.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Bugaoan, acting commanding officer of the 78IB, received the award from DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Rowena Niña Taduran during the awarding ceremony held at Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City on June 27 of this year.
At the same event, the National Nutrition Council (NNC) in Eastern Visayas was also recognized as the second highest purchaser among NNCs nationwide in 2023, with combined purchases totaling ₱2.3 million from two ARBOs in Leyte.
NNC Eastern Visayas partnered with the Tagbawto-Hilusig Communal Irrigators Association in Hilongos, Leyte, and the Omaganhan Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Tabango, Leyte for NNC’s Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program.
Atty. Robert Anthony Yu, DAR Regional Director in Eastern Visayas, expressed gratitude to the 78IB, NNC, and all institutional buyers for supporting ARBOs and providing stable markets for their products.
Meanwhile, the DAR Leyte-Biliran and DAR Eastern Samar provincial offices were recognized for their invaluable contributions to the socio-economic welfare of agrarian reform beneficiaries involved in the PAHP project in 2023.
Roberto Cajipe, Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (ARPO II) and PAHP point person in Leyte, and Jocyne Nizza Palacio, ARPO I and PAHP point person in Eastern Samar, were recognized for their efforts in assisting ARBOs in meeting the food supply requirements of NNC Eastern Visayas and the 78IB, respectively, in 2023.
Chief Agrarian Reform Program Officer (CARPO) Celso Cidro of DAR Eastern Samar was also acknowledged as outstanding provincial chief of the Program Beneficiaries Development (PBD) Division for his role in the implementation of the PAHP project last year. (Jose Alsmith A. Soria/DAR-VIII)
