KORONADAL CITY, South Cotabato (PIA) -- The Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) in the Soccsksargen region has expanded its network of collaborators as it welcomes new members to its Regional Convergence Team (RCT). 

Just recently, three government entities, namely: the Philippine Rice Research Institute-Midsayap Branch (PhilRice-Midsayap), the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor-Field Operations Division for Mindanao (PCUP-FODM), and the Philippine Information Agency in Regional 12 signed an addendum memorandum of understanding as partners of the EPAHP program.

Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Regional Director Loreto Cabaya Jr., who also chairs the EPAHP Regional Convergence Team, said the entry of the PhilRice-Midsayap, PCUP-FODM, and PIA to the partnership "marks a milestone."

"These three agencies complete our rooster of troops," Cabaya said, emphasizing that EPAHP has gained a partner that may serve as a spokesperson in public information campaigns and advocacy, a partner that could help ensure rice supply, and a conduit for reaching the marginalized sectors in urban areas. 

New EPAHP partners

EPAHP is a convergence program where various government institutions and private sector partners collaborate to address concerns related to hunger mitigation, food security, and poverty reduction. 

Together, partner agencies work to increase the productivity of farmers and fisherfolk and provide them, as community-based organizations (CBO), access to markets for their produce by supplying food and product needs through supplemental feeding programs of the DSWD, Department of Education (DepEd), and National Nutrition Council (NNC), as well as requirements for meals for patients in hospitals, persons deprived of liberty in jail facilities, and similar end-users.

Dr. Sailila Abdula, director of PhilRice-Midsayap, signed the MOU on behalf of the agency.

As part of the EPAHP program, PhilRice shall provide technical support and conduct periodic monitoring and evaluation to ensure remarkable progress in seed and commercial rice production.

PhilRice shall also identify rice farmer-cooperators for negotiated procurement of milled rice for government feeding programs as well as conduct technical briefings on rice management with selected farmer cooperatives and associations to ensure that farmers apply proper crop management.

PhilRice also considers introducing Malusog Rice, a vitamin A-enriched rice variety, thereby improving the nutritional value of the staple produced by farmer-cooperators, conveyed Abdula.

“Nagpasalamat kami sa DSWD na isinama kami sa mga [We thank the DSWD for including us as one of the] partners of EPAHP to connect our developed rice-based community organizations to feeding programs,” he said.

On the other hand, PCUP-FODM was represented by Chief Operating Officer Ferdinand Iman, who promised to provide a list of urban poor beneficiaries within the Soccsksargen region for cross-matching and validation of the concerned regional partners; ensure cooperation and participation of the urban poor beneficiaries in the intake and the use and processing of their personal information in the context of the partnership initiative with the PCUP; and provide social preparation activities including capacity building, trainings, continuing dialogue, organization strengthening, and value formation, among others, with other government agencies and nongovernmental organizations.

“This is a very good way in which we can secure programs from government agencies for the marginalized sector. The urban poor also need the services of the government,” Iman said. 

“I am hoping that all of us will be able to carry out our mandate and deliver our services effectively to our clients,” he added. 

Meanwhile, PIA committed to documenting the programs, projects, and activities of EPAHP and partner agencies, producing situational reports, news and feature articles, and other collateral for public dissemination, as well as promoting EPAHP through its networks and linkages, including but not limited to local media partners and through PIA-produced platforms. 

PIA was represented by Assistant Regional Head Danilo Doguiles at the MOU signing. 

Led by the DSWD as secretariat, EPAHP, prior to the entry of PhilRice-Midsayap, PCUP-FODM, and PIA, has the following government agencies as partners: Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). 

Also included are the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI), the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), the Department of Health (DOH), the National Dairy Authority (NDA), the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the National Food Authority (NFA), the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP).

The Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), Department of Budget and Management (DBM), National Nutrition Council (NNC), Commission on Population and Development (CPD), Cooperative Development Authority (CDA), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC), DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), and Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) complete the roll of partners.

Unique to the Soccsksargen region, EPAHP also has Mahintana Foundation, Inc. (MFI), Dole Philippines’s corporate social responsibility arm, as a partner.

RDC backing 

In 2023, the Regional Development Council (RDC) passed Resolution No. 23, enjoining partners, regional line agencies, and local government units (LGUs) to support the implementation of EPAHP, and Resolution No. 193, supporting the adoption of Negotiated Procurement-Community Participation to accelerate the implementation of the institutional feeding and nutrition program through EPAHP.

Ibrahim Sangcupan, EPAHP program coordinator, explained that through Negotiated Procurement-Community Participation, qualified community-based organizations are able to supply the goods required for the supplemental feeding programs.

Initially, in 2022 and 2023, two CBOs, namely Tantangan SLPA Consumer Cooperative and Koronadal SLPA Consumer Cooperative, secured a total of P8.68 million in contracts through Negotiated Procurement-Community Participation. 

In 2024, at least 83 CBOs across the region were validated as capable of participating in Negotiated Procurement-Community Participation for institutional feeding programs. 

“In the future, our CBOs may not only provide goods for government supplemental feeding programs but also cater to the needs of hospitals as well as display their produce in malls,” Sangcupan said. (Danilo E. Doguiles - PIA Region 12)