SAAD Eastern Visayas

“It’s not an easy task to be part of procurement activities. One challenge of being tasked with this work is that we have to learn the ins and outs of procurement, as simple mistakes can lead us down many roads.

The new RA 12009 may be complex, but it is our help in giving the best service to our beneficiaries. We thank the SAAD Program for this initiative, as this is a very good training.

Pagbalik natin sa ating mga respective areas, let’s cascade and make use of what we have learned. ‘Wag tayong matakot magbahagi ng mga natutunan natin, not just in this training, but also on all experiences in our government service.

Let us love our work, and do it with all integrity.”

𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗟𝘆𝗻 𝗥. 𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮
OIC – Regional Technical Director for Operations
DA Regional Field Office 8

during the closing of the Training-Workshop on the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) of the SAAD Program Phase 2 in Zambales | 8 April 2026

“It’s not an easy task to be part of procurement activities. One challenge of being tasked with this work is that we have to learn the ins and outs of procurement, as simple mistakes can lead us down many roads.

The new RA 12009 may be complex, but it is our help in giving the best service to our beneficiaries. We thank the SAAD Program for this initiative, as this is a very good training.

Pagbalik natin sa ating mga respective areas, let’s cascade and make use of what we have learned. ‘Wag tayong matakot magbahagi ng mga natutunan natin, not just in this training, but also on all experiences in our government service.

Let us love our work, and do it with all integrity.”

𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗟𝘆𝗻 𝗥. 𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮
OIC – Regional Technical Director for Operations
DA Regional Field Office 8

during the closing of the Training-Workshop on the New Government Procurement Act (NGPA) of the SAAD Program Phase 2 in Zambales | 8 April 2026






Department of Agriculture - Philippines
Department of Agriculture - Eastern Visayas

| Behind the numbers of the SAAD Program Phase 2 in Eastern Visayas are the stories of 1,528 women who are transforming their lives and their communities.

From managing poultry and livestock to cultivating integrated vegetable farms, they are constantly proving that they aren't just participants. Rather, they are decision-makers leading 73 farmer associations across all six (6) provinces, ensuring that progress is felt in every corner of the region.

This transformation is supported by a commitment to continuous learning, with over 600 specialized trainings conducted to help these women transition from traditional farming to managing their own community-based enterprises.

As we move forward, the strength and dedication of these women remain the true measure of our success. We are proud to work hand-in-hand with the female farmers of Region 8 as they cultivate a more inclusive and bountiful future for the next generation.

Our celebration of women doesn't end today, it continues in every harvest. 𝘗𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘢, 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘯!

𝙎𝘼𝘼𝘿, 𝙠𝙖𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙝𝙖𝙮.

As we begin the sacred journey of this year’s Holy Week, Palm Sunday reminds us of a moment of both praise and humility.

Across Christian traditions, this day invites us to pause, to remember, and to realign ourselves with values of compassion, service, and steadfast faith. It is a time to carry not just palms, but purpose — walking forward with renewed commitment to uplift others, especially those in need.

May this Palm Sunday inspire us to embrace humility in leadership, strength in service, and unity in faith as we journey together toward renewal and hope.

| 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐲𝐭𝐞 𝐅𝐀 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭-𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐒𝐀𝐀𝐃 𝐞𝐠𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭

Following the provision of egg production support by the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program in 2024, the Association of Farmers and Fisherfolks of Brgy. Sta. Sofia (AFFOBS) finally had their first profit-sharing session this year.

In over a year of operations, the association recorded a gross income of Php 887,353.00, resulting in a net profit of Php 85,956.40. This profit was distributed among its 19 active members during their dividend sharing held last January 27.

“𝘋𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘥𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘚𝘈𝘈𝘋 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘮𝘪 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘨𝘰'𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘥. 𝘋𝘢𝘨𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘨 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘣𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘦𝘴𝘬𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘬, 𝘶𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘰 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘰 𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘢𝘸,” said Mr. Alex Salem, AFFOBS President.

[We are greatly thankful towards the people behind the SAAD Program whose guidance enabled us to acquire enough shares. Most of us are happy that this achievement supports our daily needs, including our medicines and school expenses of our children.]

Full story: https://tinyurl.com/AFFOBSDividendSharing

| For most, the concept of being a full-time mom is often measured by the endless cycle of household tasks. But for the women of the DA-SAAD Program, there is a growing realization that their strength is needed and valued far beyond the four walls of their homes. 🏠🌾

To our women-beneficiaries in SAAD-Eastern Visayas, choosing to be an active member of an association isn't simply about tending to crops. Rather, it is an opportunity to prove their capabilities and a conscious decision to be a provider. This dedication shows that being a mother and a breadwinner are two roles that can grow together in the same soil.

“𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨. 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘪 𝘭𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘬𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘣 𝘩𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺, 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘪 𝘭𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘩𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺. 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯 m𝘢𝘨𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪 𝘮𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘨 𝘱𝘢 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘢 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺𝘢.

𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭-𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮, 𝘥𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘨𝘢 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘬𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘪𝘺𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘬𝘢-𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘢𝘨𝘪 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘨-𝘶𝘮𝘢 𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘬𝘢-𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘨 𝘱𝘢 𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘩𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘥𝘢𝘯.” - Melanie Bantang (TFA Secretary - Hernani, Eastern Samar)

[We need to be strong. We should not be confined in our homes and be limited to our tasks at home. We also need to work so that we can better provide for our family.

As a full-time mom, being a member of the association really helps because farming keeps me physically active, and it allows me to contribute to our daily expenses.]

This March, we salute the mothers who are stepping out of stereotypical roles and into their true power. Muli, Happy Women’s Month, mga ka-SAAD!

𝙎𝘼𝘼𝘿, 𝙠𝙖𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙡𝙖𝙙 𝙣𝙖 𝙗𝙪𝙝𝙖𝙮.

| 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐏 𝐊𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧

For two years, the members of the Samahan ng mga Manggagawa para sa Agrikulturang Pangkabuhayan (SMAP) Association recorded their vegetable harvest totaling 6,437.15 kilograms, with a net income of Php90.274.78. Last December 2025, the real reward came when the group decided to pool out Php38,400.00 from their savings to be shared as a dividend among the members.

Each member took home P1,920.00 - a tangible return on months of sweat and toil. For the members of SMAP, the payout was more than just cash in hand; it was proof that their hard work in the fields was worth every effort.

While the amount is a welcome boost for household budgets, the true value lies in the transparency of the process.

"𝐴𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑔-𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑙 𝑛𝑖𝑖𝑛𝑖 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑏𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑎 𝑘𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝑛𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑎𝑚𝑔𝑜 𝑛𝑎𝑘𝑜 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑎 𝑢𝑠𝑎 𝑘𝑎 𝑔𝑟𝑢𝑝𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑜𝑔 𝑘𝑎𝑎𝑦𝑜ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑛. 𝑁𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑔𝑦𝑢𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑘𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝑠𝑎 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑜 𝑢𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑎𝑔𝑘𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑏𝑎𝑙𝑜 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑘𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑔𝑜 𝑔𝑖ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑛 𝑜𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑎𝑦𝑜𝑛 𝑛𝑔𝑎 𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖,” shared Marivic Macabulos, the association’s treasurer.

[Participating in this income-sharing session made me realize that working as a team benefits everyone. It was helpful to see the process and know that our hard work is fairly rewarded.]

Full story: https://tinyurl.com/SAADSMAPGreenSuccess

| 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐀 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐧-𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐬

Natural disasters impact agriculture, just as Typhoon Tino in November 2025 caused about Php 397,340.00 in crop and farm structure damage to the Nahaong Vegetable Growers Association (NaVGA) in Libagon, Southern Leyte.

A month before the typhoon, the farmers’ association was able to harvest a total of 2,103 kilograms of assorted vegetables with a total sales of Php 87,445.00. It was their 2nd cropping cycle after they received this livelihood grant from the Department of Agriculture – Special Area for Agricultural Development (DA-SAAD) Program in 2024.

“𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘬𝘢𝘺 𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘢, 𝘯𝘢𝘢 𝘯𝘢 𝘴𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘮. 𝘈𝘱𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘕𝘢𝘝𝘎𝘈 𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘨-𝘶𝘨𝘣𝘢 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘴𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘢 𝘚𝘈𝘈𝘋,” Ms. Marbie Gozo Gabronino, member of NaVGA persisted.

[It is saddening, especially that we were already in the harvesting stage when the typhoon came. Nevertheless, NaVGA remains motivated in cultivating our fields because of the support from the SAAD Program.]

Full story: https://tinyurl.com/SAADNaVGaRecovery