LAGAWE, IFUGAO – – Scores of Banaue children are expected to benefit from the feeding program facilitated by Panubtuban Multipurpose Cooperative.
The feeding program will benefit young learners from the town’s 41 daycare centers.
Food packages were prepared recently by cooperative and Municipal Social Welfare and Development (MSWD) personnel at the town’s gymnasium. A major component of the package is rice. The cooperative procured the rice from a farmer’s organization in Banaue.
Panubtuban Multipurpose Cooperative is one of the most active cooperatives in Ifugao. Founded in 2010, it has 330 members.
Headed by Tessie Dillag, the cooperative continuously implement various agriculture and livelihood programs to uplift the lives of marginalized soil tillers.
“The welfare of these kids is our priority even if they are not from our town. We are always eager to help others in Ifugao,” Dillag said. This cooperative is based in Panubtuban, Ifugao.
It is for this reason that the cooperative continues to earn praises for its readiness to mount noteworthy projects as this one in many other towns in the province and the Cordilleras.
Feeding projects are being aggressively pursued in Ifugao in answer to the mounting malnutrition problem.
It clearly aims to increase the operational worthiness of feeding projects in rural areas. Most of these projects are troubled by funding constraints.
Keeping its promise to contain the ill-effects of malnutrition such as stunted growth among the young, the cooperative is doubling its efforts to reach the widest majority of malnourished children in Ifugao.
While the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) cleverly took the action of renaming the day care center into “child development center,” malnutrition persists in poverty-stricken communities in the country.
It is difficult to ignore the herculean task of the cooperative in this upland province when attention is glued to Imperial Manila’s moves on the “flood control” mess.
“I believe health and nutrition of children should be given priority considering that they are vulnerable to societal problems,” Dillag explained.
What is needed is strong leadership to pursue these goals. As a way forward, Dillag is always there, hand-in-hand with others in the private and public sector in a reassuring way to provide guidance and support through development initiatives.
More and more, this cooperative finds itself addressing new challenges. The cooperative also offers agricultural loans to farmers. Will this cooperative revive Ifugao’s economy? “Our goal is to promote growth and support the economy,” Dillag quipped.
In a related development, the cooperative is on its way of venturing into production of nutritious muscovado sugar as a means of improving the lives of sugarcane farmers in Asipulo.
Asipulo is a fourth class municipality. Its economy thrives on agriculture. Sugarcane is one of its crops.
Engaging in this livelihood venture is seen as an effective way of reducing poverty in the town. This is a one-two punch of ingenuity and courage. It is a one-of-a-kind endeavor about shaping the future of a long neglected town.
The affordability, accessibility and availability of nutrition muscovado sugar through this initiative shall exemplify the cooperative’s dedication to community upliftment, investing in sustainable growth and empowering rural folks.
Today, the cooperative’s head is steering the cause with innovation. Soon, farmers can produce more these crops of which they can sell to the cooperative and their incomes are increased. Thus, the narrative is rather simple and conductible. The cooperative and sun-baked farmers shall continue to evoke their tasks to promote the common good. **By Anthony A. Araos
