WBA partners with VSU to develop root crop value chain in Basilan

Prof Marlon Tambis, PhilRootcrops Deputy Director, explains the benefits
of root crops at the start of the WBA Training on Rootcrop Production.

August 3, 2022 (Isabela City) – Selected farmers from the Western Basilan Alliance (WBA) assembled in Isabela City for capacity training on root crop production. The training was conducted by a team from the Philippine Center for Root Crop Research and Training Center (PhilRootcrops) stationed at the Visayas State University (VSU) in Baybay City, Leyte.

Mayor Hanie Bud, the interim WBA chairperson, said PhilRootcrops has been tapped as an institutional consultant. Aside from the training on root crop production, other components of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed by the parties include pilot production of two (2) varieties of cassava and another two (2) varieties of sweet potatoes suited for food consumption, setting up a root crop processing center in Western Basilan to be hosted by one of the WBA-member LGUs, two (2) batches of the training of trainers on root crop product processing and marketing workshop.

Mayor Bud added that this is one of the many development initiatives they have in line to spur and sustain the growth of the alliance. Earlier initiatives include the WBA DXPW 99.1FM radio station and the WBA CRM Center.

 
Provincial Administrator Manny Muarip reiterated Basilan Governor Jim Hataman’s interest in focusing on strengthening farmers’ food security and livelihood, which was greatly affected by the cocolisap infestation that devastated the local coconut industry, and the aspiration of opening alternative livelihood and enterprise complementary to the two dominant local industries – rubber and coconut. Aside from this, the Provincial Government and the WBA are also working on coastal resources management through capacitating local personnel on participatory coastal resources assessment and working with the Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST) to develop the CRM priorities for the next three years.

 
PhilRootcrops Senior Agriculturist Dioscoro Bolatete expressed optimism that the trainees will be able to apply their learning and commence land preparation in the pilot farms.

 
PhilRootcrops will continue to provide expert advice as the farmers progress with their initial production journey using the PhilRootcrops technology learned in the training.

The new technologies spanning production to processing to marketing provided by PhillRootcrops come at a time of improved security conditions in the province.

 
PhilRootcrops Deputy Director Marlon Tambis said the prevailing peacefulness presents an opportunity for Basileños to improve their economic situation and for PhilRootcrops to be engaged in the province as part of the realization of its mandate as a national agency tasked with research, development and extension.

 
WBA Technical Working Group (TWG) lead facilitator January Zanoria noted how member LGUs are keen to develop the root crop value chain, beginning with the identification of pilot sites and the core group of farmers who will manage the production and mobilization of local staff and partners who will be trainers and advocates of root crop products by popularizing their many uses and income-generating prospects.

 
The LGUs have already directed their respective local agriculture staff who will be actively involved across the value chain.

 
The first inter-LGU cooperation in Basilan, WBA is supported by the Spanish aid agency AECID through the IAG-implemented Modeling Inter-LGU Alliance in Basilan (MILAB) project in partnership with the provincial and selected municipal governments.

AECID and IAG-supported WBA organizes Dive Center and opens opportunity for women

Maluso, Basilan (July 12, 2022) - CMAS-certified divers from within the Western Basilan Alliance convene today in this town for a training package that aims to build their capacity to operate and sustain the WBA Dive Center.

According to Noor Saada, MILAB Project manager, the WBA Dive Center is envisioned as a social enterprise for the alliance while sustaining the competence of their CMAS-certified divers and promoting sustainable tourism within the alliance through a wide range of exciting and waiting-to-be-explored dive sites.

Sarah Miguel Tahajid, one of the CMAS-certified divers assigned to operate the WBA Dive Center, says, she is happy and excited to be part of this engagement and looks forward to visit the pre-identified dive sites. According to her, even if she is a native-born of the place, she has not been able to explore many beautiful places around WBA.

Another female participant and CMAS-certified diver, Gernie Tadjah-Ladjaalam, says, feels lucky to be part of the initiative. According to her, this dive center is a rare but timely opportunity, to capacitate local personnel and open up an opportunity for women employees. Being a woman and part of the process builds up her competence that she can be on par with her male colleagues. Divers and diving have always been for men. With their participation, they now believe that women can be divers, too.

Sarah and Gernie are among the trainees of the WBA Dive Center training package that starts yesterday and is to run until July 24th. During this period they will be trained on proper set-up, maintenance, utilization, and storage of equipment; snorkeling, free diving and introduction to SCUBA as among the services to be offered by the center; identifying dive sites properly and testing the dive equipment to be donated by the AECID-funded MILAB project; work out the menu, tariff and promotional materials for the dive center and write all their learnings into an operations guide for their use and to guide their services and interactions with center clients.

WBA is the first inter-LGU cooperation in Basilan Province and is being capacitated by the Spanish aid agency AECID-funded MILAB 2 Project, implemented by the Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG) in partnership with the provincial and selected municipal governments.