DAR-ARMM Secretary Visits LARBECO Grants support to expand its table egg production

DAR-ARMM Secretary Atty. Aquino Sajili talked about the convergence strategy that was launched the day before his visit to this ARC and bared that LARBECO is included in the convergence livelihood cluster. The concept of the convergence is cooperation from all agencies of the autonomous region to bring assistance together to a certain community. 

(Seated from left to right: LARBECO Manager, Jose Bernadas, DAR-ARMM Secretary Atty. Aquino Sajili, RBOI Chairman Sakiran Hajan, and DARPO Basilan PARO Suwaib Ismael)

With the table egg expansion project of LARBECO worth PhP 8 million included in the convergence, the regional governor has instructed the department secretary to help or concentrate on the agrarian reform communities of Basilan.

LARBECO manager, Mr. Jose Bernadas was thankful for the projects that the DAR poured into the community. The LARBECO boasts of successful members’ savings and operations program, which expanded from a capitalization of PhP 200,000 to an eight-figure asset.

Secretary Sajili also noted of the cooperative’s good facilities and recommended that the cooperative improve or expand their function halls as he was toying with the idea of holding Basulta meetings in LARBECO.

Coming along with the party was the chairman of the Regional Board of Investments, Sakiran Hajan who informed the body that the convergence strategy of the autonomous region focuses on the acronym HELPS which stands for health, education, livelihood, peace and governance, and synergy. The DAR, RBOI and the DENR fell into the livelihood bracket. The program could be sustained through cooperation of all government agencies. He explained to the body how the Board of Investments functions and the benefits the farmers could derive from it. He revealed that RBOI is eyeing on Basilan for rubber and palm oil development. He hoped that this announcement will reach to the knowledge of the ARBs.

After the meeting, the party went to tour the rubber plantation, warehouse, post harvest facilities for cacao and coconut, egg project (poultry), and office.