MinDA introduces livelihood programs to Lanao del Sur

DAVAO CITY -- At least seven Lanao del Sur towns have signed up for the livelihood projects that the government is introducing this year, Secretary Emmanuel Piñol of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) said last January 16.

Lanao del Sur is among Mindanao provinces that have high poverty incidence at 71.2 percent, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Piñol said the livelihood projects, which include cattle fattening, dairy goat multiplier farm, duck raising, and tilapia fish cage farming, are aimed at addressing poverty incidence in the province, which is a component of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

“The basis for their selection was very simple: the mayors of the towns showed deep interest in the program by attending the livelihood orientation and staying from the opening time in the morning until the end of the program,” Piñol said.

He identified five of the towns as Taraka, Pualas, Balindong, Mulondo, and Butig, the birthplace of the Maute group and the erstwhile stronghold of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels.

“All seven towns will have a Pilot Project for Chicken Egg Production consisting of 200 layers housed in pens to be crafted by Maranao carpenters patterned after the steel egg laying cages, which cost about P200,000,” he said.

Piñol said several MinDA private sector-partners will help in the livelihood program for residents of the seven Lanao del Sur town.

“PILMICO of the Aboitiz group will provide the Ready-to-Lay Pullets with PILMICO supplying the feeds and providing the technical training for woman groups. The eggs could be sold locally but any excess production will be absorbed by UltraMart, a Cebu-based supermarket chain,” he added.

For the tilapia project, the specific town-recipients are Balindong and Mulondo while those beside the vast Lake Lanao will also become recipients of the duck raising project under the Itik Pinas program of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“Two towns will host a Dairy Goat Multiplier Farm Project with 20 does and two bucks while all of the towns will have pilot farms for sorghum farming which is being introduced to support the backyard chicken and duck raising projects and also for goat and cattle raising. Cattle fattening projects will also be established in all of the seven pilot towns,” Piñol said.

He said MinDA also partnered with the Philippine Fiber Development Authority, an agency of the DA for start-up abaca nurseries in the seven towns.

"All of these projects are expected to serve as the show window for the other towns to follow. By introducing these projects only in the towns whose mayors attended the livelihood orientation, I am sending a message to the local government leaders that we could only help them improve the lives of their people and the economy of their towns if they show interest in the projects,” Piñol added. (ALLAN NAWAL, PNA, MINDANAO EXPOSE')