Recto secures financing to fight poverty in 86 ARCs

MANILA – Finance Secretary Ralph Recto has secured financing from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) for a project that will help 86 agrarian reform communities (ARCs) in Soccsksargen and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) fight poverty through value chain innovation and sustainable natural resource management.

"[T]he VISTA (Value Chain Innovation for Sustainable Transformation in Agrarian Reform Communities) project is a holistic and targeted poverty-fighting and sustainable development solution that takes into account the complex realities faced by our 86 agrarian reform communities," he said in his remarks at the ceremonial exchange of the financing agreement on Friday.

The ceremonial exchange of the document was held between Recto and IFAD country director Umit Mansiz.

The VISTA Project aims to reduce rural poverty, strengthen livelihoods, and increase the resilience of targeted poor communities in vulnerable upland areas of the country by strengthening the inclusiveness of value chains and mainstreaming conservation and the sustainable use of natural resources.

It has three components – ecosystem planning, protection, and enhancement; sustainable value chain development; and project management.

This will benefit 52 and 34 ARCs in CAR and Soccsksargen, respectively.

The project has an estimated total cost of P6.23 billion, of which P4.69 billion (about EUR78.62 million or USD85 million) will be financed by the IFAD.

"Sa tulong ng proyektong ito, tayo po ay makakapaghatid ng mas maraming trabaho at negosyo, dagdag na kita, mas matibay na proteksyon laban sa climate change, at mas maginhawang buhay para sa ating mga kababayan sa Soccsksargen at Cordillera (Through this project, we will be able to provide more jobs and enterprises, additional income, better protection against climate change, and better lives for our countrymen in Soccsksargen and Cordillera)," Recto said.

Farmers, for instance, will benefit from sustainable farming practices, better post-harvest facilities, and improved farm-to-market roads that connect their goods to markets efficiently, according to Recto.

"We will also cultivate a new breed of entrepreneurs who will drive innovation in coffee and cacao production, processing, and marketing in the country. All these while maintaining the cultural integrity of the communities and preserving the natural ecosystem in the area," he said.

He said the project will not only transform the target communities but also help unlock their full potentials as the country's sustainable growth drivers and key pillars of national food security.

"This innovative and inclusive project reflects our vision for Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) – a nation where every Filipino, especially our youth, women, and Indigenous Peoples, has the opportunity to build better futures for themselves and contribute to our nation's prosperity," Recto said.

He expressed his confidence in the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture, Department of the Interior and Local Government and local government units in bringing the project to fruition and delivering on its promises to the communities.

"Through projects like VISTA, we move closer to our goal of lifting eight million more Filipinos out of poverty by the end of the President's term," Recto said.

In a video message, IFAD vice president Gerardine Mukeshimana said VISTA will enhance rural resilience against environmental and economic challenges for approximately 350,000 people in the uplands of the two regions over the next six years.

"It will support the priorities of the Philippine Development Plan to modernize agriculture and agribusiness to accelerate climate actions and strengthen disaster resilience, and to reduce vulnerabilities, and protect purchasing power," she added.

United Nations-Philippines Resident Coordinator Gustavo González, meanwhile lauded that the project is in hard-to-reach areas.

"I think this is the best way that we make the most of the knowledge and capacities of the United Nations – it's being in place and areas where people need this type of support," he said.

"We will not only help our farmers here, but this will pave the way for stability in the two regions. Do not worry, Secretary Recto and also IFAD, we will spend every centavo, every euro, every dollar, judiciously," DAR Secretary Conrado Estrella III said.

The financing agreement for the VISTA project was signed by Recto and IFAD president Alvaro Lario on July 10 and made effective on the same date.

The event was also attended by Finance Undersecretaries Maria Luwalhati Dorotan Tiuseco and Joven Balbosa, and representatives from the National Economic and Development Authority and DAR. (PNA)