The long road to government assistance starts with a proposal
ZAMBOANGA CITY — More than half a million pesos worth of agricultural assistance, in the form of 2,985 kilos of ginger, was turned over last week to a group of farmers here for their processing project, which was proposed under the 2014 — yes, 2014 — bottom-up budgeting (BUB) program.
“There were times that we almost gave up during our processes on the submission of the project proposal,” said Esperancita E. Hupida, co-chair of the Zamboanga City Local Poverty Reduction Action Team (LPRAT).
The LPRAT was among the groups that helped the beneficiary, Victoria Hills Farmers Association, composed of about 50 members from one village, prepare the proposal and push for the project.
“But we really claimed that this is what you, the farmers, need because you are the ones who made it,” Ms. Hupida, a civil society representative in the LPRAT, said in an interview during the turn-over ceremony.
“The farmers should never tire to really assert their rights,” she added.
Engineer Erdwin V. Kulayan of the City Agriculturist Office, who was the coordinator for the now defunct BUB scheme and was in charge of defending the proposal at the regional level, acknowledged that government bureaucracy slows down the delivery of assistance.
“The government is known for its long processes in approving proposals,” Mr. Kulayan told the farmers, adding that he is glad that the Ginger Production for By-Product Processing will finally be rolling.
Victoria Hills Farmers Association President Allan Alejandro, for his part, said they are glad that the long wait is over and thanked all the groups that helped them, particularly nongovernment organization Reach Out to Others Foundation.
“We are grateful that because of your various assistance, we are able to push for our rights,” Mr. Alejandro said, citing the technical and capacitybuilding in project proposal-making as well as providing linkages to government agencies.
Mr. Alejandro also urged the association members to continue working together to ensure the project’s sustainability and growth.
“As one farmer working on our own and alone, we can do okay, but if we work together, we can succeed more,” he said. —