JCI Puerto Princesa Oil spearhead a banner community project dubbed as LEGACY (Livelihood Empowering seaweed Growers Along Coastal-communitY), now on its third year extending its assistance by providing a two-day forum to indigenous seaweed farmers and livelihood training and workshop for women of Quezon, Palawan on March 14 – 15, 2019, to be held at Diwata Hall, Municipal Hall Compound, Quezon Palawan.
Ms. Pacita Bravo from the Office of Provincial Agriculturist said that participants of much-awaited livelihood training and workshop are represented by municipal-wide seaweed farmers from the marginalized community and women’s group that advocates advancing the purpose of Gender and Development (GAD). Honorable Mayor Joselito Ayala of Quezon, Palawan supported and commend the event and proposed activities.
JCI Puerto Princesa Oil invited resource speakers for Hands-On Seaweed Training and Processing / Value-Added Product (VAP) who also advocates and promotes pro-women effort Ms. Lea Arceo-Dagot, OIC, Fisheries Post Harvest & Marketing Section, BFAR MIMAROPA Region from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, and Ma. Elena Basaya, Aquaculturist, BFAR Provincial Fishery Office, Puerto Princesa City will handle the forum with seaweed farmers which pertain to Seaweed Update and Sustenance, and Ms. Pacita Bravo and members of JCI Puerto Princesa Oil will facilitate the two-day activities.
Hands-on seaweed training and engaging activities that would add to skills to participants include a health awareness using organic seaweed-based soap with a variant that would serve as protection, prevention, and addresses high risk of malaria cases that continuously breaks out in the mountainous part of Palawan.
Two-day training skills and development activities to be facilitated and provided by resourced speakers from BFAR are packed with a series of subjects and hands-on activities and that includes are Module 1: GMP – Good Manufacturing Practices and HACCP – Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, Module 2: Seaweed processing of different food recipe and snacks that are saleable as a home-based business. Module 3: Seaweed based soap making, Module 4: Cost and Return Analysis, Module 5: Food Packaging, Module 6: Coding and Labelling, Module 7: Storing and Distribution, Module 8: Sensory Evaluation and Module 9: Marketing Strategies and New Trends for Seaweed Based Products to be presented by Gilbert Ramoya of JCI Puerto Princesa Oil.
Seaweed varieties Eucheuma Cottonii known locally as “tambalang” that have a high demand for commercial applications for food and none food products grow abundantly at coastal barangays in Quezon, Palawan. Availability of this raw material in the area will help to foster these new skills to be learned by participants.
The activities are in time with this year celebration of National Women’s Month this March. LEGACY’s aims to provide training and assistance for a day-to-day livelihood and to contribute an alternative source of income to indigenous seaweed farmers and help to promote and addresses issues on empowerment and growth for women on all socio-economic status.
This year Women’s Month Celebration with a Theme: We Make Change Work for Women is part of the worldwide observance of the International Women’s Day.
A month-long celebration aligned to JCI Philippines national project “Pinay Power where it seeks to unite all female chapters and female members of the mixed chapter in organizing topics pertaining to women.
It is the longtime goal of this project to gather involvement from male members in participating in pro-women efforts. It is an awareness campaign that introduces and educates the different situations of women across the society and hopefully as a result would create a dialogue between the leaders and the community.
This is a project that aims to increase membership growth and empowerment of females within the organization –built with a strategic set of activities that would inspire a community.
Pinay Power stared with two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals namely: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all (#4) and Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls #5). Now, by positively evolving the Pinay Power Program focuses on three more UNSDGoals: By Educating people on Maternal and Child Health (#3), Promoting Economic Growth for women on all socio-economic status (#8) and Building a community free of Racial Inequalities (#10) making the project more applicable to the modern Filipina.” – JCI Philippines
LEGACY’s project has been co-presented and in partnership by a local government unit of Quezon, Palawan, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources MIMAROPA Region, Provincial Fishery Office, Gender And Development (GAD), EGOV Program of Governor’s Office, Provincial Government of Palawan, and supported by Palawan Daily News, Sidanao Seaweed Farmers Association of Quezon, Palawan, Shakeys Palawan, Ihob, Ancient Dynasty Kitchen, Menungang Eldew Cafe, Marina del Bay, and generous sponsors. [PR]