COTABATO CITY– A total of forty-three (43) individuals from MILF Combatants, Alumni of the School of Peace and Democracy –Bangsamoro can now start their own local Social Enterprise venture after they completed a three-day Climate and Food Security Top Up Course program particularly on Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) Production. The said Top–Up course was conducted with two batches.
The first batch was held on December 03-04, 2023 at Pinnacle Hotel, Davao City, attended by 26 participants coming from provinces of Maguindanao Del Sur, Maguindanao Del Norte, Sultan Kudarat and Lanao Del Sur. The second batch was held on December 19-20, 2023 at N Hotel, at Cagayan De Oro City, attended by 17 participants coming from provinces of Zamboanga Peninsula, Bukidnon, Davao Oriental, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato.
VCO production is one of the three top-up courses implemented by the Peace, Security, and Reconciliation Office (PSRO) for the School of Peace and Democracy Bangsamoro Alumni under the Climate, Peace, and Security Program for transitioning combatants of MILF with the technical assistance of the Development Academy of the Bangsamoro through the Center of Education and Extension and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Mr. Noel Pedrola, Project Analyst of UNDP-Cotabato City said in his opening remarks that “the livelihood training is part of BARMM government’s stepped-up efforts to end violence in the community, in lieu of, developing the VCO production to build the earning capacity of the transitioning combatants by offering them more resilient and sustainable livelihood opportunities”.
Similarly, Mr. Anwar Alamada, the PSRO Executive Director, also shared his valuable insights and support for the transitioning MILF Combatants in his Inspirational Message.
Mr. Wahid Maneged of Barangay Campo Bangsamoro Agricultural Cooperative (BCBAC) and his team, discussed in detail by demonstrating from preparation of needed materials and the complete steps from raw material (coconut milk) to finished products like Virgin Coconut Oil, Vinegar, and Cooking Oil (Lana Tidtu).
Additionally, Noraida A. Datumanong, DAB-Chief Education Program Specialist, imparted to the participants her remarkable insights on Social Enterprise and its impact on food security in the post-conflict community. She also facilitated Action Planning that will serve as a framework for the implemention of the course activities that are decided by the participants itself. Likewise, a topic on climate change – disaster risk reduction and management were also presented to the batch 1 participants by the UNDP Project Manager on Peace and Stabilization, Ms. Judith De Guzman, and UNDP Project Analyst, Noel Pedrola for the batch 2 participants. Along with the course process, the batch 2 participants were given the chance to benchmark at Tuminugan Farm located at Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. The participants were toured to the salubrious farm owned by John Perrine. The farm owner also shared his knowledge about peace and development by transitioning the conflict areas into a farming site. The benchmarking activity is part of experiential learning on a social enterprise platform that serves as motivation for the participants to embark on business ventures such as farming as an option for long-term economic stability.
Generally, the program was successfully done and the SPDB Alumni were very satisfied and grateful to the knowledge they have learned and they were happy receiving their certificate of participation during the closing program. The School of Peace and Democracy Bangsamoro is an initiative established through the support of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines.
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DAB, as the human capital development training and research arm of the Bangsamoro Government for government officials and employees, is a CSC recognized Government Learning and Development Institution under the Office of the Chief Minister Hon. Ahod B. Ebrahim. DAB is currently under the leadership of Executive Director Sh. Hisham S. Nando, M.A.
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