LEGAZPI CITY, Albay (PIA) – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) conducted a six-day training session on the revised Enterprise-based Agrarian Reform Community Development (E-ARCOD) modules on January 31 at Patio de San Jose, Malilipot, Albay.
Fifty-six (56) personnel attended the training from the DAR Regional Office 5 and DAR provincial offices of Camarines Sur 1, Camarines Sur 2, and Camarines Norte.
The training aims to enhance the skills of the program beneficiaries’ development facilitators (DFs) in community organizing and development-based enterprise and management.
Patricia T. Rastrullo, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer I of Albay, emphasized the importance of recognizing the positive qualities, abilities, and inadequacies of DFs in order to improve their performance.
Rastrullo said, “We need to identify our strengths and weaknesses as development facilitators in order to be more effective in our work. Personal effectiveness is also key in doing our jobs and duties better.”
Regional Director Rodrigo O. Realubit also addressed the participants, “At the end of the day, our efforts are part of a larger plan to make our country a better place to live in. When you do program beneficiaries’ development work, you are attempting to win the hearts and minds of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) to encourage them to participate in what our department is doing.”
Realubit reminded the participants on the importance of being proud of their work. “We must be proud of what we do as agrarian reform implementers. There are no other people, no other workers, who would be proud of our organization except us. If we don’t feel proud and are not good at what we do, probably we don’t belong in this department.”
The E-ARCOD training became an opportunity for the DAR personnel to improve their skills and contribute to the improvement of the lives of ARBs. The training is not only a theoretical exercise, but it is also a practical application of what was learned to make a difference in the field.
Realubit ended with this inspiring message, “Sometimes, our jobs in the DAR are difficult, but if you believe in it, and start moving forward, anything is possible.”
The same training was conducted for development facilitators from Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, and Catanduanes last January 16 to 21, The DAR expects that the participants will have a deeper understanding of their jobs and be able to apply their knowledge to their field works after the training. (With reports from Maria Christina Angela Pielago, Bicol University intern-PIA5/Legazpi City)
