"This is yet another step towards achieving lasting peace and development in this part of the region," said Jesus Dureza, Presidential Assistant for Mindanao who led the ceremonial turn-over of the planting materials.
Dureza, who also heads the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo), added that through seaweed farming, the former MNLF combatants will be given a chance to uplift their economic status as well as play a vital role as peacekeepers in the barangay.
The agricultural inputs were provided under the Livelihood Enhancement and Peace (LEAP) Program, a US Agency for International Development (USAID)-assisted project that aims to sustain the 1996 Peace Agreement between the MNLF and the Philippine government.
"Each program participant is expected to harvest about a ton of dried seaweed every 45 days, twice the average yield of a typical seaweed farmer in the area," said Noel Ruiz, LEAP program manager.
He explained that in addition to the agricultural inputs, the LEAP program will also provide the participants technical support such as skills upgrading and training on farm management.
"In fact, these farmers can also utilize the seaweed warehouse and solar dryer facilities which we established for our production cluster in Kahoy Sinah, a neighboring barangay about a kilometer away from here," added Ruiz.
Since 1997, the LEAP program, with the support of other partner-agencies, has assisted over 23,000 former combatants, and has provided post-harvest facilities and community development assistance to former MNLF combatants and their families. It is being implemented in collaboration with the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo). – Louie Rodaje, LEAP Program