Monday, December 04, 2006 Farming village receives water system facility
RESIDENTS of Barangay Guisao, a farming village 20 kilometers east of Zamboanga City, will soon have a new communal water system to supply them with potable water.
A group of non-government organizations (NGOs) known as the Zamboanga City Coalition of Development (Zamcode) acquired a P1.96 million loan for the purchase of equipment needed for the new communal water system of the farming village.
An agreement was signed by Zamcode and the loan recipient, the Sta. Catalina Multi-Purpose Cooperative (SCMPC), during the first day of the Anti-poverty Symposium and Agri Expo held at the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) on Friday.
Claretian priest Fr. Angel Calvo, Zamcode chairman, said the loan is payable within eight years with three years grace period from the date of release.
The agreement signing, witnessed by WMSU president Eldigario Gonzales, is the highlight of the Anti-Poverty Symposium and Expo by WMSU and also part of the celebration of the Week of Peace that started on November 29 and ended on December 6.
SCMPC president Pastor Palis said the new water system will be a major help in his community’s effort to acquire basic services and improve the health of the residents, especially the children.
Calvo said the SCMPC will also be provided with basic services, organizational development training, technical support, and values formation.
Gonzales encouraged the farmers to go into jatropha, corn cassava, and native chicken production and promised to assist them in marketing their products.
WMSU, Zamcode, Peace and Equity Foundation (PEF) and Nadilaab Foundation earlier forged an agreement to collaborate in providing various anti-poverty and peace-building interventions in Zamboanga City and in Basilan Province. (Bong Garcia)
