01/02/2026
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๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐ง๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ: ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐จ๐ญ๐๐จ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ก๐จ๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ ๐ก๐จ๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ
In the rolling highlands of Kitaotao, Bukidnon, two community groups are turning local produce into pathways out of poverty, thanks to substantial livelihood grants from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The Kitaotao Poblacion Rural Improvement Cooperative (KPRIC) and the Lorega Ancestral Management Development for All Generation (LAMDAG) recently received a total of P750,000.00 to fund projects centered on tablea (cacao tablets) and strawberry production, promising not just income but a renewed sense of purpose for their members.
The quiet hum of anticipation turned to applause as the DOLE-X Bukidnon Provincial Field Office, together with the Kapilya San Miguel Multi-Purpose Cooperative as the co-partner and the Local Government Unit (LGU) of Kitaotao thru their Public Employment Service Office (PESO), formally awarded the livelihood grants.
For the KPRIC, the P250,000.00 grant for their Tablea Production and Marketing Project is a transformative tool. The cooperative, consisting of farmers, senior citizens, and mothers, received industrial-grade grinders, molders, cacao beans, and packaging materials to elevate their cacao production.
Just a mountainous stretch away, the indigenous community members of LAMDAG are looking at a sweeter horizon. The P500,000.00 grant for a Strawberry Production and Processing Project will restore their strawberry farm. The project directly benefits indigenous families, offering an alternative to seasonal labor.
The group's venture into strawberry farming and processing began with promise in 2022, funded by a grant from DOLE. This initial support enabled them to establish their operations and embark on what was hoped to be a sustainable livelihood.
However, their progress was severely tested during the El Niรฑo phenomenon of 2023. The season brought exceptionally intense and prolonged heat, coupled with a critical shortage of irrigation water. These combined climatic extremes proved insurmountable for the moisture-sensitive crop, ultimately leading to the failure of their first strawberry farm.
Raul L. Valmores, the DOLE-X Bukidnon Provincial Field Office Director, highlighted the program's core objective. He explained that the Integrated Livelihood Program was about empowering individuals and groups to build sustainable enterprises. He clarified that while they provided the seed capital and technical guidance, the drive, the work, and the ownership belonged to the groups themselves.
He added that seeing groups like KPRIC and LAMDAG, which had such clear visions for their communities, was the reason they did this work. He concluded by stating that this was an investment in peopleโs resilience.
As the newly acquired equipment arrives and the first strawberry runners are planted, the communities in Kitaotao are buzzing with a renewed sense of industry.
The DOLE grants have done more than fund projects; they have validated local dreams and indigenous knowledge, proving that with the right support, the rich soils of Bukidnon can yield not just crops, but lasting opportunities and hope for generations to come.
