PHILIPPINES Rubber coop receives DTI’s SSF in Bayawan City

Coop chair Rogelio Dael said some 640 hectares of land in Bayawan are already planted with rubber and 50 % of this are owned by coop-member farmers.

“SSF processing machineries granted by DTI is the realization of our dreams; the farmers certainly are thankful to receive the equipment not only to increase our productivity but we can sell the product with better price,” said Dael.

DTI-7 regional director Asteria Caberte with the DTI-NegOr provincial director Javier Fortunato Jr. handed over P411,150 worth of rubber sheet processing equipment to RUBBERCO at the Integrated Business Center (IBC) in Bayawan City after the MOA signing.

Caberte said DTI supports micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) particularly those in the countryside, to address the gap for lack of facilities and help improve its quality of rubber production.

“This is in response of President Aquino’s mandate to create jobs and bring more food on the table for the Filipinos,” said Caberte.

The DTI director also announced the availability of P40 million for Central Visayas to fund other business-cooperatives’ facilities and encouraged local government units to facilitate in the submission of project proposals.  

The SSF is a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative which is being implemented through private sector partners who can provide facilities to house the machinery and equipment.

Stipulated in the memorandum, DTI will validate the capabilities of the cooperative and determine the factors that would help improve production and eventually increase the organization’s income.

Government officials witnessed and showed full support of the projects include Gov. Roel Degamo, 3rd district Rep. Henry Pryde Teves, Bayawan City Mayor German Saraña and other government financial institutions in Negros Oriental.

Source: "Philippine Information Agency", Manila; 27 Mar 2014
(Syed Rashid Ali, Karachi, Pakistan)