By Omar Fernando

BUTUAN CITY — A farmers’ cooperative in Barangay Tigao in the town of Cortes in Surigao del Sur received a livelihood grant amounting to P150,000 from the Office of the Vice President (OVP) through the “Magnegosyo Ta Day” entrepreneurship program.

Vice President Sara Duterte personally handed over the check to Tigao Farmers Development Cooperative (TFDC) in a turnover ceremony held at the OVP satellite office in Butuan City on Nov. 20

The grant's release is among the highlights of the OVP's 89th Founding Anniversary celebration in its satellite office in the Caraga Region.

The OVP Caraga also facilitated the release of burial and medical assistance to more than 60 beneficiaries.

“The livelihood assistance is under the ‘Magnegosyo Ta Day,’ an entrepreneurship program of the Office of Vice President. The OVP also caters burial and medical assistance to our constituents here in the Caraga Region,” Duterte told the media in an interview following the release of the livelihood grant.

VP Sara also visited Gingoog City in Misamis Oriental, where she distributed 
gift packs to over 3,000 beneficiaries composed of solo parents, tricycle drivers, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens.

She also went to the Cervantina Elementary School and led the distribution of PagbaBAGo Bags to 507 school children.

The distribution of school bags is part of the PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners Campaign program of the OVP.

Timely intervention

TFDC chairperson Gerson Pagara thanked the OVP and VP Sara for the timely approval and release of the livelihood grant they proposed.

“The PHP150,000 livelihood grant will boost our capital for copra buying. The TFDC has been into copra buying since 2021,” Pagara said when interviewed following the activity.

He added that more than half of their members are involved in coconut farming, while the others are engaged in rice, corn, vegetable farming, and fishing.
Pagara said the cooperative has 47 members who actively support their business ventures, especially the copra buying.

TFDC Treasurer Sonia Roluna said the cooperative adds P1 peso per kilo when buying members’ copra products.

“The current buying price of copra in Surigao del Sur ranges from P45 to P46 per kilo. But these prices change,” she added.

Based on her estimate, the cooperative can increase the volume of copra products it buys from its members by up to more than 50 percent with the additional capital from the OVP.

“Our daily buying capacity average runs from 200 to 300 kilos because of our limited capital,” Roluna said.

She also welcomed the monitoring activity that will be conducted by the OVP, which she considered necessary to ensure the sustainability of the livelihood grant and the copra buying venture of the cooperative.