Army helps farmers through community support program

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

 

BACOLOD City – The Army’s Community Support Program (CSP) took part in helping the farmers perform their agricultural tasks in Negros Occidental.

In a press release, the Army said the 32nd Civil-Military Operations Company (32CMOCo) facilitated the turnover of a four-wheeled tractor with equipment to local farmers in Kabankalan City last Wednesday.

The tractor was turned over to Nicanor Endonilla, chairman of Colambo-Oringao Sustainable Farmers Association (COLOSFA), which is composed of 40 farmer-members. It will help mechanize the agricultural tasks, improve crop productivity, and increase the income of COLOSFA.

Colonel Inocencio Pasaporte, commander of 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), said that the project was made possible through the CSP in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture-6, Provincial Agriculturist Japhet Masculino, City Agriculturist Ricky Muscosa, and the local government unit.

Pasaporte said that the Army will remain steadfast and will intensify its CSP efforts to bring genuine peace and development in Negros.

The CSP is a program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Development Support and Security Plan (DSSP) dubbed “Kapayapaan”, which is a multi-stakeholder and community-based peace and development effort aimed to establish and protect a conflict-affected community. It also aims to identify issues of communities and introduce developmental interventions to resolve these issues.

On July 4, the CSP teams of 32CMOCo had launched the creation of “Katilingban sang Mangunguma kag Mamumugon sa Barangay Nagasi” (KAMMANA) Farmers Federation in La Carlota City, which is composed of six different farmer associations namely: Barangay Nagasi Laborers Association (BNLA), Hacienda Consuelo Laborers and Farmworkers Association (HCLAFA), Hacienda Najalin Laborers and Farmworkers Association (HNLAFA), Barangay Nagasi Farmers and Farmworkers Association (BNFFA), Mangunguma kag Mamumugon sang Hacienda Esperanza (MAMAES) and Najalin Rice Farmers Association (NRFA) all in La Carlota City.