AN INDIGENOUS people's community in Zamboanga Sibugay got a boost in its rattan furniture production capability through the Grant-In-Aid (GIA) program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

DOST Regional Director Martin Wee said the recipient of the P180,000 GIA program is the Tugop Muslim Professionals and Farmers Agriculture Cooperative (TuMPFAC) and its Kalibugan Tribe members based in the village of Dalangin, Titay, Zamboanga Sibugay.

Wee said the program beneficiary used the grant to acquire a wicker machine capable of processing rattan into various types of furniture.

Wee said the machine can also be used to reprocess generated waste material for value adding.

He said the technology is also expected to cut operational costs by 48 percent aside from automating traditional and time-consuming processes.

He said that in line with Executive Order 70 and the efforts of the Regional Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, the technology grant is aimed at providing a sustainable, income-generating solution for the TuMPFAC and its Kalibugan Tribe members.

He said the GIA program provides grants for the implementation of programs and projects that fall under the identified DOST priority sectors. (SunStar Zamboanga)