SOME P1.4 million worth of farm machinery and equipment (FMEs) were turned over to five Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) in the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) said Tuesday, August 12, 2025.
The FMEs were turned over to the ARBOs on Friday, August 8, in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay through DAR’s Program Beneficiaries Development Division (PBDD) under the Climate Resilient Farm Productivity Support Program (CRFPSP).
DAR-Zamboanga Peninsula said the CRFPSP aims to improve farm productivity and increase the income of Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARBs) in a sustainable way, particularly in the face of climate change.
The program offers a holistic approach to support ARBs through the provision of FMEs, promotion of climate change adaptation strategies, training and capacity building, and access to markets.
Among the FMEs distributed were two rice threshers, three hand tractors, two mud boat tractors, one power tiller, three power sprayers, 18 knapsack sprayers, two water pumps, and two centrifugal water pumps.
DAR-Zamboanga Peninsula said the recipients of the assistance are the following: Y-Cluster IA Inc. from Titay; Sto. Niño Farmers Agrarian Reform Cooperative and Bucacao-Lutiman Concepcion Irrigators Association, Inc. from Alicia; Labrador-Timualag Katurog Irrigators Association, Inc. from Buug; and, Zampen Federation of ARBs and Rubber Farmers Association from Tungawan.
The distribution of FMEs highlighted by the Signing of the Memorandum of Agreement and Trust Agreement formalizing the turnover of the FMEs.
The agreement ensures that the recipients fully understood the terms of use and their responsibilities in managing the equipment.
Romulus Perez, OIC-Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Officer for PBDD, has encouraged the ARBOs to take bold steps in expanding their initiatives.
“We need to step outside our comfort zones and look for more projects that can strengthen our cooperatives,” Perez said.
“We started with small support and proved ourselves worthy of trust. Now we are being entrusted with bigger resources. Let’s use these properly and make the most of them so they can truly benefit our members,” he added.
Rolando Libetario, Jr., Zamboanga Sibugay Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer, is optimistic that the livelihood support will increase the assets of the ARBOs and their membership will grow in the future.
Representatives of the recipient ARBOs shows deep gratitude to DAR for the much-needed agricultural support.
Noel Puig Jr., president of Bucacao-Lutiman Concepcion Irrigators Association, Incorporated, said the FMEs are of a big help to the rice farmers. (SunStar Zamboanga)