THE Poverty Reduction, Livelihood and Employment Cluster (PRLEC) in Negros Occidental has launched the Caduha-an Agri-Tourism and Livelihood Development Project in Sitio Aluyan, Barangay Caduha-an in Cadiz City earlier this week.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), as the lead agency of PRLEC, spearheaded the project in partnership with the City Government, City Tourism Office, Barangay Caduha-an Council, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), 79th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Information Agency (PIA), Philippine National Police, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Agriculture (DA) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
It aims to provide community-based training on Organic Agriculture Production NC II and other livelihood interventions for 25 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) of Barangay Caduha-an.
Village chairman Joebert Javier, in a statement, lauded the Tesda for its continuing effort to serve those at the grassroots level despite the challenges and risks brought by the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.
Javier said that Caduha-an is grateful to be one of the recipient-barangays of the program.
"The training on organic agriculture production is very timely since the barangay is now positioning to become an agri-tourism site," he added.
Tesda-Western Visayas Regional Director Jerry Tizon, who spoke at the activity, emphasized that PRLEC is a convergence program of all government agencies.
"To our partner agencies, we need to work together in order to achieve the goal of the PRLEC towards poverty reduction and in addressing the needs of people in the conflict-affected community," he said.
Tizon assured the City Government and barangay of the agency's continuous support and interventions to make Caduha-an as the next agri-tourism destination in the province.
Executive Assistant Eduardo Javier, who represented Mayor Salvador Escalante, also expressed his gratitude to the efforts of the cluster.
The mayor, he said, is looking forward for a more technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs in the city.
For her part, Tesda-Negros Occidental Acting Provincial Director Romelia Nuezca said that the skills training on Organic Agriculture Production NC II is just one of the interventions to be given by the cluster.
"There are still other government agencies who already pledged their support to this project," she said.
The Organic Agriculture Production NC II training will be funded under the Training for Work Scholarship Program of the Tesda.
Scholarship benefits include free training cost, free assessment, internet allowance, one-year accident insurance, health and personal protective equipment allowance, and training support fund or allowance of 160 per day.
The training will run for 29 days, from July 6 to August 2, 2021, with Tesda Provincial Training Center in Cadiz City as the training provider.
During the program, participants also signed the pledge of support and cooperation for the implementation of the Caduha-an Agro-Tourism and Livelihood Development Project. (EPN)