In Barangay San Isidro in San Luis, Pampanga, the residents converted a 7,000-sqm. land into a community garden and rehabilitated a nearby riverbank with the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). And this did not only boosted the villagers’
harvests and food security but also their disaster resilience.
Early Wednesday (July 2) morning, DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian inspected the site where he was able to see firsthand how the community is benefitting from the twin initiatives, which particularly fall under the agency’s Project LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished).
“Ito ‘yung proyekto natin — yung LAWA at BINHI, alinsunod ito sa utos ng ating Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., bilang lagi niyang sinasabi na kailangan may sapat na pagkain sa hapag ng bawat pamilyang Pilipino,” Secretary Gatchalian said in an interview with members of the media during the site visit.
Launched in 2023, the Project LAWA and BINHI is a DSWD initiative designed to ensure that agricultural productivity continues during droughts or dry periods and even on days with extreme heavy rainfall.
Under the BINHI component of the program, the community garden in Brgy. San Isidro was cultivated by 150 partner-beneficiaries composed of local farmers, senior citizens, and solo parents under the program’s cash-for-training and work (CFT/W).
Each beneficiary received Php10,000 for 20-days of rendered labor and attendance in training sessions.
“May cash for work na sila, meron pa silang farm kung saan sila pwedeng kumuha ng kinakain nila. Itong mga community garden or rural farm, importante ito kasi sa ganitong paraan, sa mga darating na sakuna at kalamidad, meron at meron silang palaging makakain,” Secretary Gatchalian, who was impressed with the program implementation, pointed out.
Some of the surplus harvests are also sold in Metro Manila and in local markets, resulting to the further boosting of the beneficiaries’ livelihood ventures.
The community garden is also now well-capacitated to serve as a supplier for feeding programs led by the DSWD’s Field Office 3 – Central Luzon.
Secretary Gatchalian, who was able to engage with the beneficiaries over a hearty breakfast cooked from the abundant harvest of their garden, was elated to share how locals used their hard-earned money from the project.
“Yung natanggap naman ng iba na cash-for-work, yung sweldo nila for 20 days sa pagtaguyod nitong farm nagamit nila para maitaguyod naman ulit ng ibang hanapbuhay katulad ng pagtitinda ng frozen meat, pagre-resell ng school supplies,” Secretary Gatchalian happily shared to reporters.
The beneficiaries also jointly worked in rehabilitating a nearby riverbank. The stretch of the river in San Luis town often serves as a catch basin, leading to clogs caused by debris brought from other larger water bodies.
Now, the river has been rehabilitated and revitalized. It is now being kept clean and presently home to an abundant harvest of kangkong.
Beyond the 20-days of paid work, the community garden and riverbank continue to thrive under the close care of beneficiaries, who now have full control over the resources that will sprout from the growing farm and irrigation sites.
As part of a whole-of-government approach, the DSWD has tapped the assistance of the Department of Agriculture (DA) which provided the seedlings for the community garden and the fingerlings for the river.
The Project LAWA and BINHI has been also instrumental in raising awareness on climate change and ways to mitigate its adverse impact among communities, particularly through its training focused on disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and practical skills in gardening, and water harvesting.
Joining Secretary Gatchalian in the site visit were Pampanga Vice Governor Dennis Pineda, Pampanga 4th District Rep. Anna York Cristina Bondoc-Sagum, 4th District Board Member Kaye Naguit, and San Luis Mayor Dr. Jayson Sagum.
Department officials who accompanied the DSWD chief were Undersecretary Diana Rose Cajipe and Asst. Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMG), and Director Maria Isabel Lanada of the Disaster Response Management Bureau (DRMB), and Regional Director Venus Rebuldela of DSWD Field Office 3-Central Luzon. (LSJ)