February 12, 2025. Operating their own livelihood activities in their respective communities, various people’s organizations across the Bangsamoro Region have high hopes to boost their productivity and profits with the on-going construction of processing centers.
These facilities will provide proper storage for the equipment and tools used for production of various products which are locally sourced in Bangsamoro communities.
Likewise, the rising of these processing centers will afford the POs manufacture their products with a proper facility ideal for food handling activities based on the standards approved.
At present, the construction of the eleven units of processing centers across the eleven sites are underway.
95% completed at Brgy. Talibadok, Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur; 77% at Tumbras, Kadayangan and 59% at Balakayon, Pahamuddin all in the Special Geographical Areas (SGA-BARMM).
Procurement of materials for the construction at Mother Tuayan, Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao del Sur is on-going.
The groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction activities in Lilod, Balindong LDS, Malimono, Marawi City and Mataya, Buldon, Maguindanao del Norte were conducted and layouting by engineering team is set to start the construction.
Technical validation and succeeding activities for the communities in island provinces is set on third to fourth week of February this year.
Various products at present made by local groups are native delicacies, cassava chips, coconut oil, banana chips, herbal soaps, and among others.
POs learned the procedure through the relevant skills training conducted to them respectively.
Most of these groups have reported challenges on proper storage and processing facility, thus the project through the support of donors responded to these needs to further help these communities maximize the chance towards local economic progress.
Relative training on product development has also been completed for the POs as provided by the personnel from MOST-BARMM.
The project team had an initial coordination meeting with the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) in Region XII for the key information about the guidelines and standards for local food processing activities.
According to Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA Inc.), “this continuing support to people’s organizations across communities has been a significant approach towards peacebuilding in the region.”
The agency added “we educate and empower the community by allowing them identify available resources potential for livelihood initiative, we gave them training, complete set of tools and equipment, various training for organizational and operational management, and now the project is constructing for them a processing center”.
BDA noted that the continuing support to POs within and outside BARMM is relevant to the project SUBATRA-ECSO: Enhancing CSOs Capacities for Inclusive Development Interventions in BARMM in Support to Bangsamoro Transition, funded by the European Union and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.
