GENERAL SANTOS CITY (PIA) — The final leg of the Soccsksargen Regional Forum on Food Negotiated Procurement-Community Participation (NP-CP), which was recently held in this city, emphasized its importance in empowering grassroots communities.
The event was organized by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP), in collaboration with the Alliance of Cooperatives Against Hunger and Poverty (ACAHP).
NP-CP is a government procurement process that involves the integration of community-based organizations (CBOs) as suppliers for the delivery of goods, services, and simple infrastructure projects.
The initiative aims to establish a partnership mechanism to implement the scheme in pilot locations by 2025, with the goal of enhancing collaboration among procurement entities, cooperatives, and support organizations while promoting sustainable development.
DSWD Regional Director Loreto Jr. Cabaya emphasized the program’s tangible benefits and its impact on local farmers in the region, noting that in 2024, ₱104 million was awarded to various community-based organizations (CBOs) and cooperatives in Soccsksargen.
He also shared plans for 2025, which include the procurement of supplies for milk and hot meals, with the hope of surpassing previous achievements by enhancing NP-CP through partnerships and collaborations with various national line agencies.
ACAHP National Coordinator Cresente Paez also underscored the role of the NP-CP in enhancing farmers’ livelihoods.
According to Paez, this method enables the government to source produce directly from family farmers, while cooperatives oversee the logistics of food distribution to families identified as needing assistance by welfare services.
“This collaboration with the ACAHP at ng (and with) NP-CP, ang goal talaga ay para sa mga farmers, magkano ang kikitain nila at ang impact sa lives ng ating farmers (the real goal is for the farmers to understand how much they will earn and its impact on their lives),” Paez explained, pointing out how the cooperative sector contributes to food security and local economic growth.
NP-CP includes qualified community-based organizations such as farmers’ groups, irrigation organizations, Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations (SLPA), agrarian reform beneficiaries, and similar groups that bid to provide goods and services for their members.
The EPAHP-DSWD also expressed a strong determination to continue their efforts toward fostering stronger partnerships between local farmers and stakeholders, with the goal of achieving greater sustainability and enhanced livelihoods for the farming community in Soccsksargen through the NP-CP.
The forum also received support from Collectif Stratégies Alimentaire (CSA) and GIZ, a German government international aid agency. (SZT, PIA Region 12)
