TRAINING. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) trains some 166 residents on practical skills for water harvesting and gardening in Patnanungan, Quezon from April 17 to 19, 2028. After the training, the participants started building water harvesting systems and gardening projects to be completed on May 15. (DSWD photo)
MANILA – Some 166 residents of Patnanungan, Quezon have started building water harvesting systems and gardening projects in the province, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said on Monday.
Irene Dumlao, assistant secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG), said the programs are part of the DSWD’s Projects LAWA (Local Adaptation to Water Access) and BINHI (Breaking Insufficiency through Nutritious Harvest for the Impoverished).
“With Project LAWA at BINHI, we want to strengthen the adaptive capabilities of poor and vulnerable families to mitigate the impact of food insecurity and water scarcity brought about by the drought, especially this time that we are experiencing scorching heat throughout the country,” Dumlao said in a news release.
From April 17 to 19, the project beneficiaries underwent comprehensive training encompassing disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and practical skills for water harvesting, gardening, vermicomposting, and hydroponics.
After the training, the participants started the repair and construction of water harvesting systems and community and school-based gardening projects, with a target completion date of May 15.
Dumlao said the project will provide learning and development sessions (LDS) on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation and Disaster Risk Reduction (CCAM-DRR), and cash-for-work (CFW) and cash-for-training (CFT) to beneficiaries in priority areas affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
She said the interventions under the CCAM-DRR in the priority areas are based on the Climate Outlook of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (DOST-PAGASA) with the most number of poor families based on Listahanan 3 and not just in areas near major river basins as identified by the Cabinet Cluster on Climate Change.
As part of the design of Project LAWA at BINHI, the DSWD will provide each partner-beneficiary with the daily minimum regional wage rate of PHP470 in exchange for their attendance to the training and participation in the implementation of the projects in their barangays. (PNA)
